Metalli-Beca
by Dracossack
Summary: Beca arrives at Barden with her best friend, Jesse. However, this is not the DJ you know. This Beca is more interested in the wailing guitars and pounding drums of a metal band than in the beats and bass drops of a remix. So how is she going to react to a campus saturated with A Capella?
1. Chapter 1

**Metalli-Beca**

_Author's Note: I'd like to start with saying that I am still a bit new to this. This is my first writing in this universe and only the second writing I have ever attempted. The premise of this story is that Beca is a metal guitarist and vocalist as opposed to a DJ. I decided on this idea because I love Pitch Perfect and I wanted to write a story with it, having read an obscene number of stories in this section, and I wanted to give it something unique. I did my best to keep everyone as close to their canon as possible, only changing a few characteristics to fit the premise, though I imagine I could have done a much better job. I have very little experience writing with already existing characters, as my other fiction's protagonist is an OC. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this, and any feedback would be much appreciated. Thank you!_

_Also, I notice a lot of people writing Jesse as a bit of a jerk, especially in Bechloe stories, which I disagree with. I actually really like Jesse's character. It's only in one of the deleted scenes of the movie that I see him as being a bit of a tool. And I get that his comment about Beca having to take out her ear spike to be beautiful wasn't really cool, but he never really went with that. I think he just wanted an excuse to call her beautiful. Anyway, on to the story!_

_Chapter 1:_

"Here we go," Beca sighed to herself as she stepped out of the passenger seat of the SUV. She looked around, seeing countless cars and even more people carting their many belongings throughout the campus, moving into various dorms.

"Geez, Becs, could you be any more enthusiastic?" a voice dripping with sarcasm came from behind the brunette. "It's college, dude. Try to be a little excited." Turning to look at her best friend, Beca sighed again.

"You know as well as I do, Jesse, that we'd be be better off just skipping this part. It's not like it'll help us be successful musicians anyway," she said, rolling her eyes as he continued grinning. He shook his head.

"You're ridiculous. We need to have some way of getting a job if we fail miserably," said Jesse. "Besides, it could be fun." That was Jesse. Always both the more reasonable and yet more optimistic of the pair. It was an odd combination in Beca's mind, but she admitted it was probably a good thing he was around.

"We shall see," she muttered with a smirk as she was approached by a blonde girl in a Barden shirt.

"Hi there! Welcome to Barden University! What dorm?" she inquired a little too zealously for Beca's liking, and she recoiled slightly at her sudden approach. The shorter girl thought she looked intimidating enough to avoid people such as this, between her ear spikes, heavy make up, and tattoos, but, alas, here she was.

"Uhh," Beca began, trying to remember the name of her assigned dorm. "Baker Hall, I think."

"Ok, so what you're going to want to do is go," the blonde began to speak, but Beca zoned out and looked around for Jesse. She saw him conversing with a boy in the same clothes as the blonde girl, most likely getting his own directions a few feet away. She came back in to focus as the blonde held up an object. "And your official BU rape whistle. Don't blow it unless it's actually happening."

'What the hell?' Beca thought as she silently took the whistle before turning back to the vehicle she had arrived in. It was Jesse's SUV, a gift from his parents on his sixteenth birthday. Beca hadn't been so lucky, but she rarely felt the need to drive herself anywhere, so it didn't bother her. She opened the back door of the vehicle as Jesse walked up next to her.

"It looks like our dorms are next to each other," he stated.

"Convenient," Beca noted, grabbing two guitar cases from the back of the SUV, while Jesse grabbed two rolling suitcases. Jesse led the way to their respective dorms, as Beca had paid little attention to the crazy blonde guide. Observing her surroundings as they walked, she was convinced that she wasn't going to enjoy her time at Barden, especially after seeing the frat boys rating girls as they walked by. '_Douches_,' she thought. Finding Baker Hall quickly, the girl entered the building while Jesse headed into his own dorm. After checking in at the front desk and receiving her key, Beca made her way to her room, where she found an Asian girl who looked perhaps even more agitated than herself.

"Hey, you must be Kimmie Jin, I'm Beca," she said. The girl simply glared. 'Loquacious, this one,' Beca thought sarcastically. "No English?" The awkward silence continued. "Just tell me where you're at with English." Nothing. Sensing that this was going nowhere, Beca set her guitars down before returning to Jesse's SUV.

"Dude, you are never going to believe my roommate," he said as Beca approached the vehicle.

"Try me," she teased, quite confident she had it worse.

"The guy is the biggest Star Wars fan I have ever seen. Dude was wearing a cape when I walked in. Also, he does magic. Crazy, right?" He told her, before recounting a trick involving a small animal.

"Nice. Seems cool. I, on the other hand, have a Victoria's Secret model living with me," Beca said with a smirk. Jesse raised his eyebrows in disbelief.

"Really? Is she that hot?" He asked. Beca's smirk dropped to a blank face.

"No. I have a mute Asian girl who I'm pretty sure is already plotting my death," she said, a hint of remorse that her lie had, in fact, been a lie.

"Would you prefer someone like blondie?" He asked, referencing the girl that greeted Beca earlier. The short girl thought for a moment.

"Yea, death at the hands of a potentially ninja roommate sounds way more appealing than that," she conceded. The two friends chuckled, before continuing to move their luggage into their rooms.

After she had moved a majority of her belongings into her room, Beca turned to speak to her roommate, rather skeptical of the results the following conversation would achieve. Still it was necessary.

"So, this stuff," she started to say, pointing at a pile of musical equipment, which included no less than four guitars, a half stack amplifier, a microphone stand, a floor monitor, and a microphone, which was now occupying much more space than Kimmie Jin would have preferred. "Is my life. So you don't touch it." The Asian just stared at the pale brunette. "Like, ever." More silence. "It's extremely important to me that you acknowledge this interaction." Beca searched her roommate's features for any sign of acknowledgment. After about ten seconds of silence, she decided the girl wouldn't care enough to mess with her stuff. She hoped she wouldn't, anyway, because she wasn't sure she'd be able to win in a fight with a ninja. A vibration from her pocket drew the girl out of her thoughts, and she pulled her phone out of her pocket to check the text she had received. It was from Jesse.

"_Hey, wanna come play __Super Smash Bros.__ with Benji and I? We're in room 206._" it read. Beca assumed Benji was his roommate. She quickly typed out a reply before attempting to head out of her room. Just as she was about to turn the handle on the door, a knock came from the other side, followed by a man's voice.

"Campus police! Hide your wine coolers!" It said. Beca rolled her eyes and opened the door to be met with the sight of her father. He grinned. "It's just your old man, making a funny."

"Chris Rock, everybody," Beca said, her face expressionless. Knowing she couldn't exactly get away from the imminent conversation, she stepped aside to allow him into the room.

"So," he said, turning to face his daughter. "When did you get here? How did you get here?"

"Rode with Jesse. Didn't want to inconvenience you and Sheila. How is the step monster?" she asked sardonically. Her father brushed off Beca's jab at his wife.

"She is fine, thank you for asking," he began. "She's actually in Vegas-"

"No, dad, I don't actually care, I just wanted to say 'Step-Monster,'" Beca said with a smirk. Her father rolled his eyes.

"So, has Jesse moved in already as well?" he inquired.

"Yea, I was about to go meet him and his roommate to play video games for a while." she said. Dr. Mitchell chuckled.

"Sounds about right," he said. "Just don't let your games get in the way of your studies. Or your social life."

"Dad, you know half of the pathetic excuse for a social life I had back home came from video games, right? And the other half came from music," she responded. Her father contemplated her point.

"True. And I know you aren't much of a people person," he began. Beca let out a small laugh at what she saw as a massive understatement. "But could you at least try to get out a bit? Maybe you and Jesse could start a band here."

"Dad, we don't know anyone here. Where would we even start?" she asked.

"Well, you could start at the activities fair today. I'm sure there's plenty of music related groups where you could meet people," he answered. Beca bit her lip, thinking. "Look, Beca, I know we haven't gotten along since your mom and I divorced, and I know you'd rather be in LA, but despite what you may think, I do want you to succeed, no matter what it is you choose to do. I really want you to have a college education when you go, especially since you can get it for free. And who knows? You might even learn some things that could make you a better musician here." He smiled as he finished his pitch and Beca sighed. She hated when he was right. As angry as she had been at her father for something that happened years ago that was as much her mother's fault as it was his, she couldn't deny that he was only looking out for her.

"All right, Jesse and I will swing by there later. For now, he's overdue for an ass kicking on Super Smash Bros." She said grinning, and her dad chuckled again, remembering all of the time Jesse had spent over at their house in a constant competition with his daughter in various video games. That, or they were playing music. They were both talented vocalists, and Beca also played electric guitar.

"All right, well have fun. And let me know how the activities fair goes," he said as they walked out of the room.

"We'll see," Beca said before she took off down the hallway. She may have accepted that he wasn't just trying to make her life difficult, but she still wasn't about to inform him of everything that happened in her life. She practically sprinted to the adjacent building and up to the second floor, eager to escape Kimmie Jin's glares as well as her father, opting to take the stairs instead of waiting on the elevator. Finding her best friend's room, she didn't even bother to knock before barging in to the room. She found the two boys sitting in front of a television currently involved in a rather intense game of Super Smash Brothers. The brown haired boy sitting next to Jesse still wore a cape, and behind him was the largest collection of Star Wars paraphernalia that Beca had ever seen.

'Holy shit, he wasn't kidding,' Beca thought. Jesse remained focused on the game but Benji turned to look at the new intruder. His jaw proceeded to hit the floor, as he wasn't exactly accustomed to having hot girls, especially ones with all manner of tattoos and piercings, burst into his room unannounced.

"Quit drooling over my best friend, bro," Jesse said before proceeding to knock Benji's character off of the stage, taking advantage of the distraction. Benji's face flushed scarlet before he quickly turned back to the game.

"What, no introduction?" Beca asked, feigning a look of hurt.

"Two seconds, dude," Jesse said quickly, still not looking away from the television.

"Who's winning?" She asked.

"Benji's still up a life on me," Jesse said.

"Sucks to suck," she teased. Benji chuckled, feeling a bit of pride in his imminent victory. When they finished, Jesse introduced Beca to Benji , and they shook hands.

"So, do you want to play as well?" the boy asked Beca.

"Hell yea," she said as she sat down on the floor of the dorm room. She took the third controller and immediately selected Pikachu as her character.

"Oh, God, please tell me you aren't a thunder spammer. I've had to deal with Jesse's edge-guarding Marth enough already," Benji groaned. Beca and Jesse laughed.

"We play to win, dude," she answered with a smile. They spent the next hour playing the game, talking trash, and eating various junk food. After having won the last two matches, Beca finally decided to ask Jesse about the activities fair.

"Dad said we might be able to meet some people there to start a band with," she said.

"Beca Mitchell at an activities fair? This I must see," Jesse teased the short girl, who simply stuck her tongue out at him.

"You guys play music?" Benji asked.

"Yup," Beca said nonchalantly.

"What kind?" he continued.

"Metal," Beca and Jesse answered simultaneously. Which caused Benji to laugh a bit.

"She plays guitar," Jesse said. "And we both sing and scream."

"Wow," Benji said. He'd never really listened to much metal, so the whole idea was pretty foreign to him.

"Anyway, let's go, nerds," Beca said as she marched out of the room. The trio made there way to the middle of campus, where there were a plethora of booths for various clubs set up. Beca scanned the crowd, looking for something of interest, before a group of chanting frat boys passed by the group, yelling some manner of recruitment chant.

"Incoming tool brigade," Beca muttered.

"That's a double negative!" Benji said as they passed.

"That's a lot of negatives," Jesse mused, before Benji stepped in front of him.

"Follow me. There's only one group on this campus worth joining," he said. They approached a group of boys wearing crimson hoodies, who began to sing an a Capella rendition of 'Whip It.'

"Seriously? A Capella?" Beca asked incredulously. "Yea, you guys have fun with that, I'm gonna go look around more." Jesse rolled his eyes and chuckled as the girl walked off. Though he loved metal just as much as the brunette, he was a lot more appreciative of others genres of music, whereas Beca cared little for anything she dubbed as 'totally lame and not metal.'

"You'll have to forgive her. She can be a bit of a snob when it comes to music that isn't at least rock," he said to his roommate.

Beca wandered aimlessly. She wasn't sure what she should be looking for. After walking away from an admittedly surreal encounter with an Australian girl at the "Deaf Jews" club, which Beca was convinced could not be a real thing, she found herself pulled into a conversation two girls, a redhead and a blonde, in front of a booth that read 'Barden Bellas.'

"Hi, any interest in joining our a Capella group?" The redhead spoke with a smile.

'Again with a Capella? Like what is this, I don't even,' Beca thought to herself. She took the flier from the girl and glanced at it quickly.

"So yea, apparently this is a thing," Beca said.

"Oh totes," the redhead replied. "We sing covers of songs but we do it without any instruments. It's all from our mouths." The girl beamed.

'That didn't sound dirty at all,' Beca thought, before speaking again. "Yikes." The redhead launched into a short introduction to the four groups on campus. 'Four? Holy shit, what is the deal with these people?' As she continued her explanation, Beca began to notice how pretty she was, with her long, auburn locks, pale blue eyes, and that ridiculously bubbly smile. She ended on the group Beca had left Jesse and Benji at.

"So, are you interested?" The redhead asked. Beca thought she seemed really excited and decided to at least attempt to be nice about her refusal.

"Sorry, it's just, it's pretty lame," she said. 'Dammit, Mitchell, that wasn't nice at all.'

"Aca-scuse me?" The blonde piped up. "Synchronized lady dancing to a Mariah Carey chart-topper is not lame!"

_'Oh my God, Mariah Carey? Seriously?'_ Beca thought to herself.

"We sing all over the world and compete in national championships," the redhead quickly cut in.

"On purpose?" Beca questioned a little too sincerely. '_Ok, enough with the snark, you ass. Just apologize and leave._'

"We sang at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Center, you bitch!" The blonde responded. Beca smirked at the insult, her standard reaction to confrontation or anger.

"What Aubrey means to say," the redhead interrupted, obviously trying to attempt damage control. "Is that we are a close-knit, talented group of ladies, whose dream is to return to the finals at Lincoln Center. Help us turn our dreams into a reality?" The redhead was absolutely imploring with her puppy dog eyes, and, if Beca was honest, she almost said yes just because of the look on the girl's face.

"Sorry, I don't even sing," she lied. "But it was really nice meeting you guys." Only half a lie. She turned and walked away from the duo, not wanting to witness the redhead's disappointment. Beca could tell she was really passionate about this, and she mentally reprimanded herself again for acting the way she did. Still, she didn't regret turning down their offer. She only regretted that she likely wouldn't see more of the hot redhead. She returned to her room, shooting Jesse a quick text to let the boys know not to wait up for her. Her room was thankfully devoid of glaring roommates. Beca collapsed onto the bed before pulling on her headphones and hitting play on her iPod. No sooner had Megadeth's "Holy Wars" begun blasting through the headphones did Jesse walk into her room, forgoing knocking much in the same way Beca had earlier.

"I feel like we should start knocking. This is going to end badly someday," the girl said, pulling off her headphones.

"They have this thing called a lock nowadays, you know?" Jesse said. "It keeps people from barging into your room when you don't want to be disturbed." Beca promptly threw a pillow at his head, which he caught, laughing.

"So this guy, Bumper I think his name was, is the leader of the Treblemakers, that A Capella group we saw," He said. Beca nodded, scoffing a bit at the name, both of the guy and the group. "Anyway, he was a total dick to Benji, which sucks because Benji really liked them and wanted to join."

"What'd he do?" Beca inquired, feeling curiously protective over Jesse's roommate after their short time together.

"Ah he said something about 'The smell of his weird affecting his vocal chords' or something after Benji showed him a magic trick," Jesse said.

"So you punched him in the dick, right?" Beca voiced the action she would have taken.

"Well, no, his face, but same thing, right?" Jesse said. Beca laughed and high-fived him. "I mean, true, Benji is a weird guy, but no weirder than us or the A Capella nerds. I think Bumper takes that stuff a bit too seriously." Beca nodded in agreement. "Oh, by the way, I picked up applications for internships at the campus radio station before we left. Figured we might meet some potential band mates there, as well as making some spending money."

"Cool. Should be interesting," she said. "As long as it's not only poppy shit."

"Well their slogan is 'Music for the Independent Mind,' so I doubt it'll be too bad," Jesse reassured her.

"That... actually doesn't sound so bad," she replied with a smile. "Oh, did you know that there's like four freaking A Capella groups on campus?"

"No... And how did you find this out?" Jesse asked skeptically.

"Well there was this really attractive redhead and her blonde friend that were trying to get me to join their group," she said.

"I assume they didn't succeed," the boy responded.

"Oh, hell no, but dude, the redhead was so hot! Like honestly, I almost wanted to join just because of her," Beca exclaimed. "Almost." Jesse laughed at how much of a guy Beca could be.

"Damn. Attractive enough to _almost_ get you to join an A Capella group?" he said, stressing the 'almost.' "That's ridiculous."

"Seriously," Beca agreed. "It's too bad I was a bit of a jerk to them. Her friend called me a bitch." Jesse chuckled.

"So you were being yourself?" He joked.

"Yea, pretty much," Beca said with a smirk.

"I guess that means you didn't get Red's number?" Jesse asked.

"Nope," Beca replied with a sigh. The pair continued to chat before heading back to Jesse's room to hang out with Benji. They spent a majority of the time on various nerdy endeavors, mostly Super Smash Bros.

Back in Baker Hall, on the opposite side of the building from Beca's room, an exhausted blonde and redhead entered their room.

"Bree, please don't worry too much. I'm sure we'll have enough people audition," said the redhead.

"You don't know that, Chloe," Aubrey sighed. "Fat Amy is pretty much the only one we know will show up." Chloe looked at the floor. Her friend wasn't wrong. Even though plenty of people could show up, there was no guarantee they would.

"At least you know your favorite one won't be there," Chloe joked, recalling the brunette with the tattoos and ear spike. "It's too bad. She was pretty hot, in a bad girl kind of way, you know?" Aubrey looked at Chloe with skepticism.

"No, Chloe, I don't know, actually. I'm kind of not gay, as you'll recall," she stated. Chloe huffed.

"You're no fun," she said, sticking out her tongue. Aubrey rolled her eyes. It wasn't long after that the two both decided to go to bed. Standing in the hot sun all day to be constantly turned down hadn't been easy on them. It wasn't long after that when Beca was returning to her own dorm, deciding she wanted to hang out by herself a bit before she went to bed. Plus, she wanted to play guitar. It wasn't that late when she arrived in her room, but her roommate was already asleep.

"Damn," Beca muttered, realizing she wouldn't be able to play her instrument, before removing the gray hoodie, red tank top, and skinny jeans she had worn that day and changing into an oversized Metallica t-shirt and sweatpants. She climbed in to bed and quickly fell asleep.


	2. Chapter 2

**Metalli-Beca**

_Author's note: I can't believe this already has just as many views and way more followers than my other story. I'm not sure whether to be excited or sad about that... Anyway, thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy it!_

_Chapter 2:_

It was a few days after moving in that Beca found herself in the small, radio station on the north end of campus. She was wearing a dark blue, plaid shirt, which she left unbuttoned, over a Children of Bodom t-shirt. As she walked in, she had noticed a blonde boy in the booth, but when she moved closer to peer inside, he was gone. Beca had little time to question this as he immediately walked out of the booth.

"You been standing there long?" He asked, turning down the volume on the station's speakers. He wore a grey shirt that was relatively tight over his chest, and Beca caught a glimpse of several tattoos on his arms and hands.

'Not bad,' she thought, before realizing she should answer before she looked any more awkward. "No. I wasn't just standing there..." He eyed her skeptically before returning to the inside of the booth to grab a crate of CD's. Beca attempted to follow him in but was stopped by his declaration that freshmen weren't allowed in the booth.

"I'm Luke, station manager. You must be Becky? The intern?" He asked her.

"Beca, actually," she responded, stressing the second syllable of her name. It wasn't the first time she'd been called Becky, and most of the time it was done just to annoy her.

"My bad," Luke apologized, before noticing the image of a hooded figure wielding a scythe on the girl's shirt. "Nice shirt." Beca looked down at her chest to remember which shirt she was wearing. She had so many she never really paid attention to which band adorned her apparel on a given day. Looking back up, she noticed Luke grinning slightly.

"Thanks," she said quickly, smiling.

"Listen to Bodom a lot?" Like asked.

"Hmm, maybe a bit," Beca said facetiously, holding up her thumb and index finger with a small space in between them.

"Favorite album?" said Luke.

"Probably Hate Crew Deathroll," she answered.

"Nice," Luke replied. He opened his mouth to continue but was interrupted by Jesse's arrival.

'And people say I'm always late,' Beca scoffed internally.

"Hey man, what's up? I'm Jesse," he spoke as he approached.

"I'm Luke, you're late," the manager responded curtly before walking past the pair. Beca shook her head in mock disappointment at her friend, who simply rolled his eyes response.

"Now, since you're freshmen, you'll mostly be stacking CD's. It sucks, I know, but that's how it is. Also, you guys will be spending a lot of downtime together so please, for the love of all that is sacred, no sex on the desk. " The pair looked at each other before they burst into laughter. "Hey, you guys laugh, but trust me, you don't want to take a black light to this thing." Beca and Jesse looked at the desk in horror before slowly stepping away from it.

"It's not that we don't believe you," Jesse explained. Luke raised his eyebrows, looking at them expectantly. "We just thought it was hilarious that you'd mention the possibility of us having sex, because that's about as likely as a Metallica and Megadeth co-headlining tour." Luke looked rather confused. Not by the allusion, but by the situation. The two freshmen both seemed to like each other quite a bit, in his eyes.

"Why's that?" He inquired. Beca looked at Jesse, unsure of what to say.

"Well, you see," he began. "We dated for a bit back in high school, and it ended up being so awkward I think I may have ruined dating guys for her forever." He nudged the short girl who's face was now more red than she'd ever admit.

"It's not that he was a bad boyfriend or anything," Beca said quickly, and she could not for the life of her understand why she was explaining anything. She figured she just didn't want her best friend to look bad in front of her boss. "I just wasn't very good at being a girlfriend. And it didn't help that I started liking girls. Which, by the way, was totally not Jesse's fault I swear."

"Yea, but it's way funnier that way," he joked. Beca punched his arm and Luke laughed. He liked the freshmen, and they were certainly more interesting already than most of his interns. Beca was thankful he wasn't freaked out by them at this point, and she wouldn't have blamed him if he was.

"Well I'm relieved I won't have to worry about that," Luke said with a chuckle. "I need to head back into the booth. Get started on these. When you're done, there's more."

"Oh, by the way," Jesse said as Luke walked into the booth. He poked his back out of the door.

"Yea, what's up?" He said.

"Do you know anyone who'd be interested in starting a metal band?" Jesse asked the manager. Luke's face scrunched up as he thought.

"Hold that thought, let me queue up a few tracks," he answered. Jesse and Beca began to sort the various CD's, and they were both surprised at the variety. After Luke made a few announcements and the music resumed, he returned. "What do you guys play?" The pair looked at each other again before answering.

"Well, we both sing and scream. And she plays electric guitar," Jesse answered. Luke's eyes went wide.

"Lead or rhythm?" He asked.

"Both," Beca answered.

"You any good?" Luke continued. Jesse scoffed.

"She's amazing, man," he said. "Here, watch this." The boy pulled up a video on his phone. On the screen, Luke saw the brunette girl playing a guitar, a B.C. Rich Bich, which was her pride and joy. Her fingers were dancing across the fretboard, weaving an intricate tapestry of melodies at an unbelievable speed. Luke was floored.

"Dude, that is amazing," he said. Beca looked down and scratched the back of her head, feeling both a bit embarrassed and proud at the same time. She loved showing off but she was awful at taking compliments. "As it happens, my band is in need of a new lead vocalist and lead guitarist. Are you interested?" The short girls eyes lit up, and a rather goofy smile spread across her face.

"Really?" She asked, truly excited for the first time since she set foot on this campus.

"Definitely," he answered. Beca was giddy with excitement, until she remembered her friend, who had received no such invite.

"You should have Jesse be a vocalist too. He's a lot better at it than me. Plus, we've been singing together for ages and work pretty well together," she suggested. She didn't want to be in a band without her best friend. Luke nodded in acquiescence.

"You in?" He turned to Jesse and asked.

"You bet!" The shorter boy replied.

"All right, awesome. Now, I've already seen Beca's skill at guitar, obviously," Luke said. "But I would like you two to prepare some sort of vocal audition. Just run a few songs by me and if my band already knows any of them, we'll play them with you." The freshmen nodded. "Ok, cool. Now get back to work. The CD's won't stack themselves." Luke walked back into the booth and slipped the headphones on while Beca and Jesse began discussing songs they could use for their audition.

"You think they know any Amaranthe songs? Because those would be perfect," Beca suggested. Jesse frowned.

"Not likely," he said. "I get the feeling they previously only had one vocalist, so playing covers of a band that uses three would be rough."

"Yea, I didn't think about that," Beca replied. She bit her lip, running through their favorite songs to play together in her head. Her eyes went wide as she got another idea. "What about 'The Calm Before Reform?'"

"In Fear and Faith?" Jesse mused. "Yea, that could work. Actually, I really like that idea. I hope they know it." Beca nodded in agreement.

"I guess we could also use something by Nightwish if they don't know any In Fear and Faith. Or maybe that one Pierce the Veil song we like. 'King for a Day.'" She added.

"And this is all assuming they have a keyboardist," Jesse stated. Beca groaned.

"Shit, I didn't think of that," she said. The two continued brainstorming while, on the other side of campus, Aubrey and Chloe were having their own musical discussion.

"Aubrey, are you sure it's a good idea to use the set from last year?" Chloe asked.

"Absolutely," Aubrey answered. "Since we already know it, it'll be easiest to teach all the new Bellas, and we'll save time on coming up with something new. Also, we already know it'll get us to the finals." Chloe remained unconvinced, despite the points she made.

"I can understand that for Regionals, but we'll need something new to get further than that," she explained. "Those songs were putting the crowd to sleep before, well, you know." Chloe looked away, feeling bad for bringing up the incident of the ICCA's finals last year. Aubrey sighed.

"Look, Chlo, even if you're right, which I'm not saying you are, neither of us know the first thing about arranging music. Choreography, maybe, but not songs," she said. Chloe laughed weakly, somewhat amused by her friend's stubbornness, despite the situation. She sighed.

"I understand," she conceded. Looking at her watch, she decided she wanted to head on back to their dorm to start on her homework. "I'm going to head on back, I've got some homework to do." Aubrey looked at the redhead and nodded in acknowledgement.

"I'll see you later," she said.

"Ok," Chloe said with a wide smile before walking out of the building that housed the Bellas' practice space. Aubrey laughed at how, even in times like this, Chloe always had a smile on her face.

'I wish I could smile that easily,' Aubrey thought.

Chloe spent only about an hour or two doing homework before being thoroughly distracted by Netflix. At 10:00 on the dot, in typical Aubrey fashion, the blonde returned to the dorm room the two girls shared.

"Interesting homework," she commented as she sat down on her bed.

"Shut it, Posen. I actually got most of it done," Chloe retorted. Aubrey just looked at her. "Well, maybe not most. More than half though!" She giggled as Aubrey shook her head.

"You're ridiculous," she said. "What are you watching, anyway?"

"Orange is the New Black," the redhead stated, which Aubrey thought was appropriate in more ways than one.

"Nice. I'm going to go take a shower," the blonde stated as she changed into a bath robe. She left and returned exactly thirty minutes later, finding that Chloe had still not moved from her seat in front of her laptop. She laughed. "By the way, I think I saw that alt-chick go in as I was leaving." Chloe looked up from her laptop, eyebrows raised.

"Oh, really? The brunette from the activities fair?" She asked with a smirk. Aubrey nodded. "Maybe I should go introduce myself."

"Don't do anything I wouldn't do," Aubrey warned as the redhead changed into her own bath robe.

"Please, I would never be able to do anything fun," she teased, earning a smack on the shoulder from the blonde, before scampering down the hall. She wasn't really sure what she planned to do, but she needed a shower anyway and thought it'd be cool to meet the girl again. When she entered the bathroom, she heard what was honestly the last thing she was expecting. It was one of the most beautiful singing voices she had ever heard.

"Give me the strength to part this sea / Tear a hole through memory"

Chloe approached the only running shower as she listened to the voice, unable to recognize the song.

"Those tides come up as I'm awakened"

Chloe stood outside the stall, mesmerized by the girl's voice. She began to reach for the shower curtain so that she could see if it was, in fact, the brunette from the activities fair, but was shocked by the next sound she heard.

"AS I'M AWAKENED FROM MY CALM"

A bloodcurdling scream erupted from the shower, and Chloe yelped in surprise as she fell flat on her butt onto the cold tiles, and the voice from the shower fell silent.

'Oh, shit,' Chloe thought as the shower stopped and the curtain pulled back slightly to reveal the confused face of the brunette Chloe had been seeking.

"You ok there?" Beca asked quietly as she wrapped a towel around herself before stepping out to offer the redhead her hand.

"Yea, you just startled me a bit," she answered. The short girl blushed, a bit embarrassed that anyone had been listening. Taking hold of her hand, Beca pulled the redhead up, but as she stood, she slipped forward on the wet floor, crashing into Beca for support and subsequently knocking the towel off of her.

"Oh my God!" Beca yelled, scrambling to cover herself. Chloe giggled, thinking she was pretty cute, but quickly took pity on the poor girl and picked up her towel to give it to her.

"Sorry about that," Chloe said, much less embarrassed than she should've been. "So, since I've seen you naked, I guess I should introduce myself. I'm Chloe."

"I'm Beca," the brunette mumbled, still reeling from having been seen nude by a total stranger. Chloe smiled at her.

"I really am sorry, I didn't mean for that to happen. Not that I'm complaining too much," she said with a wink, and Beca's face flushed red. "You have a lovely voice, by the way." Beca smiled at the compliment

"Thanks," she said.

"Though, I'm not sure what that scream was about," Chloe added. Beca frowned.

"It's part of the song," she said, looking more hurt than she really meant to, and Chloe instantly regretted her phrasing.

"I'm sorry, I've just never heard anything like that before," she apologized, and Beca's face lifted a little.

"It's cool. I'm used to that anyway," she said with a chuckle.

"Anyway," Chloe said, attempting to change the subject. "You're a liar. You totally can sing! You have to audition for the Bellas."

"Look, Chloe," Beca began. She really didn't want to have this conversation. "I'm really not into the kind of music you guys sing, and I'm really into using instruments. I've been playing guitar for years, and I love it. I really don't think I'd be a good fit in you're group." Chloe was disappointed, but, after the scream, it wasn't totally unexpected, so she was determined to not let it show.

"Aw, well that's too bad," she said lightheartedly. "Still we should hang out sometime and you can play guitar for me." She winked at Beca again.

"Well, honestly, after all this excitement, I won't be going to sleep any time soon. My room number is 314 if you want to hang out," she said.

"Sounds good to me," Chloe beamed as she answered. "I'll see you after I shower." Beca grinned.

"See you soon, Red," she said before leaving the bathroom. Beca was fairly excited that Chloe was coming to see her and that she could show off her skill at guitar, but, in true Beca form, the brunette failed to remember the existence of her roommate, and the possibility of her sleeping, until she returned to her room. Cursing silently to herself, she slipped on a t-shirt and her jeans before stepping outside of the room, so that Chloe wouldn't wake her roommate when she came. It wasn't ten minutes later that the redhead arrived to the sight of the brunette sitting on the floor in front of room 314 playing a game on a 3DS. Beca looked up at her and grinned.

"Sorry, I forgot my roommate goes to bed early like all the time," she said. "So I'll have to show you my mad skills some other time." Chloe giggled.

"That's fine. Maybe we could go get coffee instead?" She suggested.

"That seems like a fair alternative," Beca replied. Chloe slid her arm around Beca's as they left the dorm and walked to the nearest coffee shop, which caused the shorter girl to quickly tense up, never being a fan of physical contact. Still, it didn't take long for her to convince herself to relax.

'Hell, she's already seen me naked,' she thought. It wasn't crowded, considering how late it was when they arrived at the small coffee shop, and they ordered their drinks before settling into a booth in the back.

"So," Chloe began. "What kind of music are you into?"

"Pretty much just rock and metal, though I can appreciate classical, jazz, and blues," she answered. She immediately began a rather lengthy discourse of how all of those genres interrelated to develop different styles, with Chloe smiling and hanging on every word. Even if she was unfamiliar with most of the music Beca spoke of, she found it fascinating.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to talk your ear off, you probably don't care about any of this," Beca said.

"Oh it's not a problem at all! Its actually really interesting, I promise," Chloe reassured the girl. "I always love hearing people talk about things they're passionate about." Beca grinned at the redhead. She really was something else.

"Thanks. Most people don't ever care to get to know me. They just think I'm weird and emo or goth or whatever stereotype they happen across first," Beca stated. She didn't really understand it, she felt so much more at ease around Chloe, even more so than Jesse, and she barely knew this girl.

"Nah, you're way too weird to have a single label," Chloe teased.

"I take that as a complement, thank you very much," Beca countered. Chloe smiled at the girl. They continued talking about various things such as school, music, and books, even coming to Beca's lack of interest in movies.

"What?!" Chloe exclaimed. "How can you not like movies?"

"I mean, I do. You can't have Jesse as a best friend and not like movies. I just don't care for them as much as most people," Beca replied. Chloe looked at her watch and realized it was now past midnight.

"We should probably get back, Aubrey's likely wondering where I am by now," she said.

"Perhaps," Beca mused. "Is Aubrey the blonde girl you were with at the activities fair?"

"Yup," Chloe confirmed. "I've known her since freshman year. She's my best friend."

"Too bad she probably hates me," Beca said with a sigh as they left the coffee shop.

"I'm sure she doesn't hate you," Chloe mused.

"She called me a bitch," Beca pointed out.

"Because you called us lame, silly," Chloe replied, nudging Beca slightly. The shorter girl laughed.

"That's true. And I stand by it. A Capella is totally lame and not metal," she teased, causing the redhead to playfully shove her.

"Come watch us practice sometime, it's actually really cool when done right," Chloe said.

"I don't know, Chloe..." Beca sighed.

"Please?" Chloe begged, putting on her best puppy dog eyes and pout face.

"Fine," Beca said with resignation.

"Yes! You're the best. I think we're going to be really good friends," Chloe exclaimed.

"Please don't tell Aubrey that, I don't need two roommates planning my death," Beca responded. Chloe laughed at the brunette.

"All right. Hey, let me see your phone so I can give you my number," Chloe said. Beca relinquished the device and Chloe quickly sent a text from it to her own phone as they arrived back at the dorm. "I had fun, Beca. It really was nice meeting you."

"You too, Chloe," Beca said with a smile as the redhead left to head to her own room.


	3. Chapter 3

**Metalli-Beca**

_Author's Note: So, I'm about to start introducing three OC's, which will be the remaining members of Luke's band. I had thought of using existing Pitch Perfect characters for these roles but I felt like I would rather have most of the characters in their canonical roles. As always, thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy it!_

Chapter 3:

"I really don't see the point of this," Beca whined as Jesse continued to drag her towards the performing arts building. "Seriously. This is going to be so lame." Jesse laughed.

"Dude, what are you complaining about? You get to see your redhead," he said. They were heading towards the Barden A Capella auditions. Chloe had asked Beca to come and watch since there were no practices or performances in the week following their first meeting, and Chloe was insistent that Beca at least see some of what A Capella was like, much to the shorter girl's chagrin. Benji had asked Jesse and Beca to come as well. At first, Beca had vehemently refused, but one pout from Chloe was all it really took to change her mind. She wasn't sure why she was so eager to make the redheaded senior happy. True, she really liked Chloe, but she didn't see her returning the sentiment any further than friendship. In Beca's mind, it was near impossible that a girl as sweet as Chloe could ever really like someone as jaded and belligerent as herself.

"Yea, I guess," Beca mumbled as she ceased her struggling and accepted her fate, walking alongside Jesse now. He raised his eyebrows as he looked at the girl.

"You do realize you've spent every waking moment this week with your face buried in your phone, texting this girl, right?" Jesse chuckled.

"I did not!" Beca shrieked. Jesse just looked at her skeptically. "Well, maybe we talked a bit. Or a lot. Shut up, Swanson." Jesse had a wide grin on his face, for which Beca punched him on the shoulder.

"So now, you don't have to text her, you can actually see her, so stop complaining," Jesse said with resolve as they reached the building. Beca sighed. She never won arguments. They quickly entered the main auditorium. As they opened the doors into the large room, they were met with the sight of an exceptionally excited ginger running towards them.

"Hey!" Chloe said reaching the pair before quickly wrapping Beca in a hug, nearly knocking the wind out of the shorter girl. "You totally came!"

"Yes," Beca said, steadying herself. "I did totally come." She smirked at the redhead, who giggled in response. "Chloe, this is my best friend, Jesse." She motioned towards the boy at her side who had been stifling a laugh at the previous exchange. He held out his hand which Chloe shook.

"I've heard so much about you," she said. Jesse raised an eyebrow upon hearing this. "All good things, I swear." The boy laughed at her promise.

"Beca saying nice things about me? What have you done to her?" He teased. Chloe laughed while Beca groaned and covered her face.

"I knew this was a bad idea," she said.

"Oh chill out, dude," Jesse said, nudging the brunette. "And it's nice to meet you, Chloe. I do apologize for Beca's reluctance to attempt social interaction of any sort."

"Oh, it's fine," Chloe assured him. "I like a challenge." The redhead winked at Beca, which caused her to blush. She covered her face again, praying no one saw it.

"You're killing me here, dude!" Beca said, which earned nothing but laughter from Jesse and Chloe. It was at that moment that the trio heard a voice speak up from the middle of the auditorium.

"Hey, Bellas! You remember when you tried to play in the big leagues and you choked?" it said. They looked to the source of the voice, which happened to be Bumper.

"So he's at it again, I see," Jesse said. Chloe turned back to him in surprise.

"How do you know Bumper?" She asked. Beca laughed slightly, realizing who it was that was speaking.

"He may or may not have punched him in the face for insulting our friend," she said with a smirk. Noticing that Bumper and Aubrey were now engaged in a rather heated argument, she spoke up again. "Can I do it this time?" Jesse walked over to the two without answering. "Oh shit."

"What's wrong?" Chloe asked, the concern in her voice evident.

"Jesse is a goofball. He doesn't get angry very often. Now, that being said, an angry Jesse is possibly one of the scariest things I have seen to this day," Beca answered somberly. Chloe's eyes went wide, realizing what was about to happen. She turned to run after the boy, but Beca caught her arm, holding him back. "Wait. He may be angry, but he's not an idiot. Give him a chance, he may surprise you." Jesse approached Bumper from behind as he continued to insult Aubrey. He tapped the singer slightly on the shoulder. Bumper whipped his head around and his eyes went wide with fear.

"I think, perhaps, you should leave her alone," Jesse said. His voice was cold. The boy had seen enough bullying in his time at high school, and he had never been one to sit idly by while it happened. Bumper mumbled a quick apology before scampering back towards the rest of his group, which was laughing at him as he returned. He uttered a few empty threats to them as he sat down, trying to salvage his dignity. Jesse scoffed, before turning back to Aubrey. The blonde girl was momentarily speechless. Not only was she unaccustomed to receiving help, she was also intrigued by this boy who caused Bumper to silently flee in such a hurry. She composed herself quickly, being the first to speak.

"I didn't need your help," she said somewhat indignantly. Jesse smiled.

"I know, but I figured on today, of all days, you'd be better off focusing on the singers than on egomaniacs who take themselves far too seriously," He replied, grinning at the blonde girl. She giggled slightly at his description Bumper.

"I suppose you're right. I guess I should thank you," she said, holding out her hand to the brunette. "I'm Aubrey." Jesse promptly shook it, before introducing himself.

"Jesse," he said.

"Are you auditioning for the Trebles?" Aubrey inquired as her eyes narrowed, a bit of suspicion leaking into her voice. Jesse laughed in response.

"Nah, I'm not much one for A Capella. I'm here with my friend. We're supporting my roommate, Benji," he answered. The blonde's features lightened again, and a smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. The two continued to chat, while back at the entrance to the auditorium, Chloe's heart was melting.

"Aww, that was one of the sweetest things I have ever seen!" she said. Beca laughed at her enthusiasm.

"Yea, Jesse's a pretty good guy," she said quietly, feeling somewhat jealous of her friend.

"You think he might like Aubrey?" Chloe asked the shorter girl, instantly alleviating any jealousy that had begun in her mind.

"It's possible, he has always had weird taste in girls," Beca joked. Chloe shoved her playfully in response.

"Don't be mean!" She chided. Beca chuckled. "Seriously though, those two would be so cute together."

"You don't even know Jesse that well," Beca said. Chloe just shook her head.

"Well, I know everything you've told me about him, plus, he just saved my best friend from that jerk, Bumper. I'm pretty sure he's perfect for her," she said with a giggle. Beca laughed.

"Whatever you say, dude," she replied. At that moment, a lanky, dark haired boy stepped on to the stage to announce the start of auditions, and Chloe quickly returned to her seat next to Aubrey, while Jesse and Beca moved to sit in the back of the room.

"Someone has a bit of a crush, I see," Beca teased as her friend sat down, a goofy smile still plastered on his face.

"I don't know what you're talking about," he said with feigned ignorance. "She is really pretty though."

"Oh, stop being such a gentleman, you know you think she's hot," Beca joked. "Seriously, you can't keep being such a good guy in front of Chloe, or she might fall in love with you." Jesse rolled his eyes.

"Because that's totally possible," he replied sarcastically. "The girl is completely smitten with you. It's the most obvious thing in the world." Beca scoffed.

"Yea, whatever, weirdo," she replied cynically. Jesse sighed. He knew Chloe's face had brightened when she saw Beca. He knew that no one else could so easily initiate physical contact with the shorter girl. And he knew what it had been like to love Beca. Still, he also knew she was stubborn as hell, so he decided to drop the conversation for now, focusing on the first up to audition. Beca only half payed attention to the singers. She was none too impressed by the choice of audition song.

'Since U Been Gone? What are we, twelve?' she thought. Jesse, on the other hand, tried his best to pay attention, but his thoughts were occupied by a particular blonde captain.

"So," Beca spoke up as she finished clapping for Benji, the only singer she had managed to pay attention to. "Can we go now? I swear if I have to hear Kelly Clarkson one more time, I may literally go insane."

"Sure, just let me have a word with our friend, Bumper. I have a feeling he'll need some encouragement to let Benji join the Trebles," he said. Beca's eyes narrowed, confused at his intentions.

"You really think it's a good idea? Even if they let him in, Bumper will give him hell," she asked.

"Well, I think I can convince him not to be too harsh. And even if he does, Benji deserves a chance. You know he was the best singer on that stage, and unless he wants to sing only Madonna, do nothing but get high, or get a sex change, the Treblemakers are his only choice," Jesse said. "Besides, we've established that Bumper is... well... a bit of a little bitch. I'm sure he'll leave Benji alone if I give him some motivation." Beca couldn't hold in her laughter. There was a reason Jesse was her best friend.

"Can I motivate him some? It seems pretty fun," she joked, and Jesse just grinned and shook his head.

"We'll see," he said, and Beca did a small fist pump, before noticing they were being approached by Aubrey and Chloe. The redhead was smiling brightly, almost skipping towards them, while Aubrey maintained her calm, reserved manner.

"So, Beca," Chloe said as she reached the pair. "I was wondering if you'd come with me to the initiation party tonight."

"Well, I'm not much of a party person," Beca mumbled, before receiving a slap on the back from Jesse.

"She'd be thrilled to accompany you," he said proudly, and the short girl just glared at him while Chloe beamed, giggling at his antics.

"Great! I'll text you the details," she said. "And you're more than welcome to come too, Jesse."

"Hmm, we'll see," he joked, knowing full well he'd go just to see Beca squirm. Her father hadn't been kidding when he said she wasn't a people person. The girl tended to be uncomfortable around large groups of people she didn't know. Still, for Chloe, he figured she'd suck it up.

Aubrey had an odd look on her face as she looked at Jesse. She wondered how close the two really were. Lost in her thoughts, she didn't realize that she had been staring at him, and all three of the others caught on as well.

"I think Aubrey might like for you to come too, Jesse," Chloe said with a mischievous grin. Aubrey's face flushed scarlet, and she quickly tried to regain her composure.

"I don't know what you're talking about," she said, trying to appear indifferent. And failing, as far as Chloe was concerned. She laughed before pulling Aubrey along past Beca and Jesse.

"We'll see you guys later!" she said as they left the building. The pair stared at the two girls as they away, before looking back at each other.

"What the hell did you get me into?" Beca asked.

"Hey, I'm not the one who had a conversation with a hyperactive redhead in the shower followed immediately by a date at midnight," he joked.

"Yea, you wish you could pull that shit off," Beca countered with a smirk.

"Please, if it had been anyone else, you'd have run as soon as they heard your scream," Jesse replied. Beca contemplated his point for a moment before conceding, and the two burst into laughter.

"By the way, there goes Bumper. If you want to have your talk, you better do it now," Beca said. Jesse's face narrowed as his laughter died off.

"Got it. Be right back," he said as he walked towards the Treble front man.

"Don't kill him! We don't have any place to hide the body!" Beca called after him. She chuckled before pulling out her phone, having felt it vibrate in her pocket. It was a text from Luke.

"_Hey, Beca, I'm about to get some food with Aaron, our band's rhythm guitarist. I was wondering if you and Jesse would want to come eat with us._" She smiled before quickly inputting her reply.

"_Sounds good. Just tell us where and when._"

"_Awesome. There's a burger place just down the road from the radio station. We'll be there in about half an hour._"

"_Cool, see you guys there_."

As she looked up from her phone, Jesse returned.

"How'd it go?" Beca asked. Jesse grinned in response.

"I'm fairly certain Benji will be fine," he said before high fiving Beca

"So, Luke invited us to go eat with him and the rhythm guitarist of the band," she told Jesse.

"Sweet. When?" he asked.

"Now," she replied.

"Then lead the way, my lady," Jesse said with a slight bow while gesturing towards the exit. Beca rolled her eyes at him as they left the building. It was about a fifteen minute walk from their current location to the radio station, so they weren't terribly concerned about being late. The two friends discussed their audition for the band on the way there.

"So, we're going with 'The Calm Before Reform?'" Jesse asked as they walked.

"Yea. Luke said he plays keyboards for the band, which surprises me a bit, but at the same time it kind of doesn't. I kind of had him pegged as the drummer, but I can totally see him playing keyboards. I think he also said he controls sampling and other effects they occasionally want to use," Beca said. Jesse nodded his head in agreement.

"Sounds good. When do you want to practice?" Jesse said.

"Well, Luke said they'll be ready for us next Saturday, so I figured we could practice tomorrow. It's not like it'll take us long to get it down," she answered, her fingers idly toying with her ear spike. They continued to talk about various things they needed to take care of before their audition, before arriving at the diner specified by Luke. They entered quickly, noticing him standing just inside the entrance next to a tall, tanned boy with long, wavy black hair. He was wearing a sleeveless shirt, showcasing a number of tattoos along his biceps, which were fairly toned. Upon their arrival, Luke quickly introduced the pair to the newcomer.

'Damn,' Beca and Jesse thought simultaneously as they took in his appearance.

"Guys, this is Aaron, our rhythm guitarist," he said. "Aaron, this is Jesse and Beca." Aaron nodded at the two, shaking both of their hands before a wide grin spread over his face.

"Really excited to meet you guys! Luke hasn't shut up about you two since you showed up at his station," he said. Beca and Jesse looked incredulously at Luke, who simply shrugged.

"What can I say? I'm excited to have a full band again," he said.

"Well, you don't have a full band yet," Beca commented. "I mean, we could both suck for all you know." Luke and Aaron laughed while Jesse rolled his eyes at the girl.

"Way to make a good impression, Becs," he teased.

"What? It's not like they're going to develop pre-existing notions of us having inadequate musical skill that could influence their view of our audition... right?" she said nervously, earning more laughter from the pair as well as Jesse.

"Calm down there, Becky," Luke joked. Beca simply glared at the taller boy. "Perhaps we should sit down?" The four sat down at a booth in the back.

"So, I have to ask, what are you guys' favorite bands?" Aaron asked after they had placed their orders.

"Right now, I'm listening to a lot of Amaranthe, but I think Metallica has to be one of my most constant favorites," Beca said.

"I'm more of a Megadeth kind of guy," Jesse said. Aaron's eyes widened a bit.

"And you guys are best friends how?" he joked. Beca and Jesse chuckled at the question.

"You know, I ask myself that every day," Beca answered. Her reply was met with laughter from the boys.

"But really, we both like both bands a lot," Jesse said. "They're both awesome." Aaron nodded in response as their waitress arrived with their drinks. They thanked her before returning to their conversation.

"So, what kind of metal do you usually play?" Beca inquired after taking a drink of her water.

"Well," Luke began. "We play pretty much anything, though we tend to try and stick to stuff that has keyboard parts, since I'm not overly fond of sitting out too many songs."

"So not much thrash, huh?" Jesse asked.

"Not necessarily. I've come up with a few keyboard parts for Metallica songs, and I can sit out one or two. I just prefer not much more than that," Luke answered.

"I see," Jesse answered.

"And sadly, we've yet to write any original songs," Aaron said. "We've tried, but none of use are particularly great songwriters." Upon this revelation, a large smile spread across Jesse's face.

"How convenient. Beca here is great at that," he said, nudging the shorter girl, who had again taken to fiddling with her ear spike, and was now blushing at the attention she was receiving.

"I'm all right, I guess," Beca said quietly, a bit embarrassed.

"Well, the last time Jesse said you were great at something, he was rather on point, so I'm going to take his word for it," Luke said.

"Yea, Luke showed me that video of you that Jesse showed him. You're unreal, dude!" Aaron exclaimed. Beca grinned at his words. She was beginning to feel more confident as the conversation went on, and Aaron had turned out to be far less intimidating than his appearance would suggest.

"Thanks," she said. They continued to discuss musical preferences and styles, as well as ideas for songs to play. They spent the better part of the afternoon talking and laughing, even after having finished their food. At some point during their meal, Beca had begun receiving texts from Chloe, which had put her in an even better mood. She found it strange how often she had been in a good mood lately, but she wasn't complaining.

"_So, we have to kidnap the girls for the initiation ceremony, but we'll be done around 8:00. Just come to the quad then and we'll meet you guys there. :)_"

"_Kidnapping? Sounds fun, can we help? :D_" Beca had replied nearly instantaneously.

"_Nah, we've got this, but thanks. You're the best ;)_"

"_Tell me something I don't know ;)_" Chloe had actually laughed out loud upon reading that message. Back in Baker Hall, however, she was facing what she saw as a crisis, and for some unfathomable reason, Aubrey could not understand her predicament.

"Bree, come on! You have to help me pick out what to wear!" she said with urgency. It was nearing time for them to being their kidnappings and Chloe had still not decided on an outfit. She scrambled around their dorm room in her underwear, looking at various outfits on herself in front of the mirror before tossing them unceremoniously onto her bed. Aubrey chuckled at her plight. Chloe never had trouble deciding what to wear.

"What's the big deal Chloe? It's not like you're trying to impress..." Aubrey was cut off by a glare from the redhead. "Oh. Oh!" Aubrey laughed when she realized what the big deal was. "Just wear something that shows off your cleavage and I'm sure you'll be fine." Chloe rolled her eyes.

"I'm surprised you're not more concerned with impressing Jesse," she said. Aubrey suddenly stiffened at the mention of the boy.

"Why would I be trying to impress him?" she asked.

"Please, I saw you flirting with him after he saved you from Bumper," Chloe said with a smirk. Aubrey huffed in response.

"I did no such thing. And I didn't need his help. I'm not some damsel in distress that needs saving!" She said. "And anyway, I'm pretty sure I'm not the one he'd be after." Chloe's eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"Well who else would he be interested in? I'm pretty sure Beca didn't mention him taking interest in any other girls," she said. Aubrey sighed, not really wanting to hurt her best friend's feelings, but knowing Chloe should probably know what she was thinking.

"I don't know, Chloe. It's just the way he looked at Beca... are you sure they're just best friends?" she said. Chloe looked at her friend indignantly, wondering where this was coming from.

"That's all Beca ever called him. Her best friend," she said with as much confidence as she could muster. Aubrey looked away.

"But is that all he ever calls her?" she asked quietly.


	4. Chapter 4

**Metalli-Beca**

_Chapter 4:_

Chloe let out a small sigh. She wasn't normally one to get frustrated easily, but the events of the last few weeks had been getting to her. For one, though she and Beca had quickly become nearly inseparable since the initiation party, Chloe was still unable to tell if the little guitarist was actually interested in her. The redhead was fairly certain she was at least somewhat attracted to her, and she had really amped up her previously subtle flirting after the party, where Beca had confirmed that she was, in fact, into girls. However, Beca was less than consistent in her responses, often replying either with a sarcastic comment and a smirk or by blushing and stumbling over her reply. Sometimes, the redhead's flirting just completely flew over her head. Chloe found it all rather adorable, but dammit if it didn't make the short girl hard to figure out. But, perhaps that was one thing Chloe really like about Beca: that she wasn't easy to figure out. She wasn't shallow, and she wasn't transparent, which was more than Chloe could say about anyone else she had been interested in. Also, she was incredibly articulate when it came to talking about music, and she had one of the most beautiful singing voices she had ever heard, which, for Chloe, was a massive turn on. Still, the redhead had yet to hear her play guitar, which was another source of her frustration. Between Bellas rehearsals and the girl's anti-social nature, Chloe hadn't seen as much of the girl as she would have liked, and often, Kimmie Jin's presence kept her from displaying her musical talent. Chloe had managed to get Beca to come watch them practice, but she was adamant about not returning, despite liking most of the other Bellas, especially Amy, whom she remembered from the activities fair. Aubrey had accused her of distracting Chloe, and the two had gotten into a rather heated argument before Chloe broke it up. And thus, the final source of Chloe's frustration. Aubrey. For someone so immensely intelligent, she had been rather ignorant as of late. She somehow convinced herself that Jesse had a 'toner' for Beca, despite all of Chloe's arguments against it. Unfortunately, without the brunette's permission, she wasn't comfortable with telling Aubrey the most definitive reason for that to be false; that is, their history together. After the initiation night party, Beca and Jesse had helped Chloe bring a drunk Aubrey back to their dorm. Jesse had taken off soon after, wanting to give the girls some privacy, and Beca stayed to talk with Chloe before she went to bed.

"I know she's my best friend, but this girl can be really thick sometimes," Chloe had said, poking the now sleeping blonde. Beca had an odd look on her face.

"How so?" She asked. The redhead sighed before turning to look at Beca.

"She's convinced that Jesse has a 'toner' for you," Chloe stated. Beca's eyes went wide.

"A what?" She asked, a small smile forming on her face.

"It's something Aubrey came up with. A 'musical boner,' essentially," Chloe said with a chuckle. Beca had laughed hysterically upon hearing those words. It was one of the rare times the girl genuinely laughed, and the sound was infectious to Chloe, who couldn't help but join her.

"Dude, no!" Beca struggled to say through her laughter. "I don't know what's funnier. The idea of a musical boner or the fact that she thinks Jesse has one for me." Chloe sobered slightly at her statement.

"Well, why wouldn't he? I mean, I know he's your best friend, but Aubrey doesn't know as much about you and him as I do now, and you're so smart and beautiful, plus you play video games. You're like, most guys' dream, and you and Jesse get along really well. It doesn't seem like too much of a stretch for her to think that," Chloe said timidly. While she didn't necessarily agree with Aubrey, she knew the blonde was nothing if not extremely smart, so there was logical reason for her line of thinking, and she didn't want Beca to think her best friend was stupid. Beca smiled at the compliment before trying to explain herself to the senior.

"Oh, Chlo," Beca began, and Chloe's heart warmed at hearing the nickname for the first time. "I wasn't trying to say Aubrey was stupid for thinking that. You're right, she doesn't know what you know. And there's even more to the story, which is why I laughed." Chloe nodded, listening intently. It was like Beca had read her mind.

'How the hell does she do that?' Chloe thought.

"I haven't really told this story to anyone, at least not in as much detail as I'm about to, so I'd appreciate it if it stayed between us," Beca stated quietly, holding her hands together nervously.

"Of course, Beca," Chloe assured the younger girl. She sat down in the middle of her bed while Beca sat on the edge as she began her story.

"About two years ago, Aubrey would have been right. We had known each other for years, and during the beginning Sophomore year, Jesse asked me out. It was fun, really. No one had ever asked me out before, and I was more than happy to go out with someone I knew as well as Jesse. We started dating, and, honestly, it was really great at first. He was really sweet, and he always did his best to make me happy. After a while though, that didn't matter. I couldn't explain why, but I wasn't happy, and I wasn't attracted to him. Like I said, I had never dated anyone before, so I assumed that eventually I would feel more. But I didn't. I felt nothing when he kissed me, and it really tore me up, because he was my best friend, you know? I didn't want to break his heart," Beca said, her voice cracking slightly. Chloe put her hand over the shorter girl's as she talked. She could tell this wasn't the easiest thing for the girl to tell her."Around three months into the relationship, we ended up at some party at one of the football player's house. How we got there, I don't know, but nonetheless, there we were. You saw tonight that I'm not the biggest fan of parties. Well, this ended up being why. I somehow let myself be convinced to drink a lot more than I knew I could handle, and ended up making out with the football captain's girlfriend." Chloe winced at hearing that. "Yea, I know. Not my finest hour. So anyway, we were in the middle of the living room when it happened, and pretty much the whole party was cheering us on, even her boyfriend. At some point he tried to take us both back to his room, trying to get us into a threesome, I assume, and that was when I finally started to realize what I was doing. I tried to tell him no, but he was pretty drunk too, and was forcing me along with him. He had almost dragged me into the bedroom before Jesse came and kicked his ass." Beca laughed slightly. "He may be a goofball but he can handle himself in a fight. Anyway, Jesse, having seen the entire scene, was, as you can imagine, pretty pissed. But he didn't say a word to me about it. He took me to my house, and made sure I was safe before going home. The next day, he told me what happened, and what I had done. And somehow, he didn't let his anger show, though I'm still convinced he was. Even before that night, he knew something was wrong with our relationship. How could he not? I was an awful girlfriend. I really couldn't deny it either at that point, so we ended it. And, God, I don't think I've ever cried as much as I did that day. I had lost my best friend, and I couldn't even figure out why I had pushed him away. So I avoided him, afraid that he'd hate me for what I had put him through." Small tears were running down Beca's cheeks, and Chloe pulled her closer, trying to comfort the brunette. She wiped away her tears quickly, not wanting the redhead to see her cry. "I'm sorry, I don't usually get this emotional."

"It's fine, Becs, I promise," Chloe whispered. "It makes me happy that you trust me enough to tell me this." Beca smiled at the older girl, unable to figure out why she'd care for a screw up like her, but not complaining nonetheless. "So what happened? I mean, you guys seem pretty inseparable nowadays."

"Oh, well, I spent the next three months coming to the conclusion that I was gay, and trying to figure out how to apologize to Jesse. It felt pretty hopeless, but I wanted my best friend back," Beca continued. "Eventually, he spoke to me first. Turns out, he wanted to speak to me since we ended it, but I was too focused on how much he should hate me to let him. So, he gave me this whole little speech about how he didn't care what I'd done or what we were and he just wanted his best friend back. It was like he read my mind. I came out to him then too, and he just high fived me, saying we could be bros and check out girls together and whatnot now." Chloe giggled at that. "He swears to this day he knew I was gay the day after we broke up." Beca was laughing now, returning to the good memories.

"So that was it? You were all good after that?" Chloe asked with a grin.  
Beca smiled and nodded.

"For the most part. I spent a long time apologizing to him, even through his insistence that it wasn't necessary," she said. "His next girlfriend cheated on him, and I kicked her ass for it, as part of my ongoing apology."

"Aww!" Chloe squealed. "You guys are probably the cutest best friends I've ever seen." Beca looked almost offended.

"Cute? No. Cute isn't metal," she declared, and Chloe just grinned.

"Ok, fine. Your secret is safe with me," she said. Beca rolled her eyes.

"Whatever, dude," she said. The brunette stretched her arms over her head as she yawned, and checked her phone for the time. "Damn, it's getting late, I should probably go."

"Ok," Chloe said, slightly disappointed that their time together was ending.

"Goodnight, Chloe. I had fun tonight," Beca said with a smile as she stood up.

"Me too," Chloe replied. She pulled Beca into a tight hug. "Goodnight, Beca." The shorter girl smiled at the redhead before leaving for her own dorm.

Chloe was so distracted as she recalled that night, she hadn't noticed she walked to the wrong side of her dorm. She was pulled back into reality by the crunch of what she would soon discover to be Beca's guitar. It was a heavy, distorted sound moving at a furious tempo, and Chloe realized the sound was coming from Beca's room. She opened the door quietly to see the short girl sitting on her bed cross-legged with her back to the door, picking through an intense song which was in identifiable to the redhead. Beca was so focused on her playing that she failed to notice Chloe approaching her wearing a mischievous grin. She put her face right next to Beca's, and when the girl finally turned to see what was in her peripheral vision, she jumped back and yelped.

"Jesus, Chloe!" She shrieked, covering her chest with her right hand, breathing more heavily than she would like to admit. The ginger smirked. She was wearing a tight, black tank top and running shorts, and Chloe quickly took in her appearance before speaking again.

"You know, if I had known how sexy you are when you play guitar, I would have made it a point to see you do it sooner," she said huskily, leaning closer to Beca's face. Beca swallowed, not really know what to say, a small blush forming on her face.

"Umm, I, umm, thanks," she struggled to say. Their faces were mere inches apart, and Beca was frozen in place. Chloe smirked again before standing back up straight, and Bece released the breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding.

"So," Chloe began. "What were you playing?"

"Two Weeks by All That Remains," Beca said.

"Well, I'd love to say that it's an awesome song, but I've never heard it. Why don't you let me listen to it?" Chloe asked. Beca grinned, growing excited to show Chloe the music she liked. She quickly plugged her iPhone into her amplifier before playing the song. Chloe listened intently, and Beca was amazed she actually cared this much.

"That was pretty awesome!" Chloe said sweetly. "It's not really what I usually listen to, but I liked it." Beca smirked.

"Yea, well you probably wouldn't like some of the other shit I listen to," she said.

"Try me," Chloe challenged. She soon regretted it, after hearing the shrill screams and harsh growls of Arch Enemy. "Ok, maybe that was a bit much for me." Beca chuckled.

"It's cool. Baby steps, Beale," she said with a wink, earning an eye roll from the senior. "By the way, I've been meaning to ask: does Aubrey still think that Jesse likes me? Because I know for a fact the dude is most definitely after her now." Chloe sighed. Despite the happiness she felt knowing this fact, she knew Aubrey still was convinced that Jesse wasn't interested in her.

"Unfortunately, yes. She can be a stubborn one, as you know by now," Chloe answered. Beca bit her lip and played with her ear spike as she contemplated Chloe's words.

"Well, on to more important things. Perhaps you'll listen to a song of mine now," Chloe suggested with a mischievous smile. Beca's eyes widened in fear.

"Oh no," she said, pointing a accusing finger at the redhead. "You're not getting me to listen to your lame, pop shit."

"Oh, don't be such a drama queen. I just listened to Melodic Death Metal for you. Besides, you might actually like this song a little," Chloe retorted, taking the auxiliary cable from the brunette before plugging in her own iPhone. A slightly distorted guitar riff filled the room as the song began.

"What's this song called?" Beca asked, somewhat intrigued.

"Titanium," Chloe said. The two girls sat in silence as the song played, with Chloe searching Beca's face for any indication of what she was thinking, but her features betrayed nothing. As the final notes of the song ended, Beca looked up to meet Chloe's pale blue gaze.

"That..." She began, and Chloe leaned forward, anxious to hear the brunette's assessment. "Was actually all right, I guess." Chloe squealed and tackled the shorter girl onto the bed. "Dude, I didn't even say I liked it!"

"I know, but it's my favorite song and you didn't say it was lame!" Chloe said excitedly, pushing herself off of Beca, but remaining over her on the bed. Neither really seemed to notice their current position.

"That was your favorite song, eh?" Beca asked with a smirk from underneath the redhead.

"Oh, totes. It's my jam," Chloe answered, before leaning down to whisper in Beca's ear. "My lady jam." Beca shivered, feeling Chloe's breath on her ear, and she turned her head slightly too look at the senior, who was now face to face with the younger girl. Chloe looked into Beca's eyes for any sign of disapproval, and, finding none, leaned in closer. Her lips grazed the edge of the brunette's slowly before finally closing the gap. The kiss was soft, but it sent sparks through Beca's body. She nearly forgot where she was, until Chloe decided to attempt to deepen the kiss. Beca was just about to allow it, when suddenly the door to her room burst open.

"Hey, Becs, Benji and I were wondering if," Jesse said before abruptly stopping. His eyes widened, and realizing what he was seeing, he immediately turned around and shoved Benji backwards, closing the door quickly. Beca groaned in frustration as Chloe quickly jumped off of the smaller girl.

"Dude!" Beca yelled, before hearing voices coming from the other side of the door.

"What was that about?" The girls heard Benji ask.

"Beca and Chloe were having their first kiss and we ruined it!" Jesse said in a hushed tone.

"Yea, but why did you have to shove me?" Benji inquired.

"Because if you had seen two hot girls kissing, your male hormones would have taken over and kept you from looking away!" Jesse exclaimed. Chloe laughed and Beca covered her face in embarrassment.

"Dude, I told you this shit was gonna happen!" She yelled at her friend on the other side of the door.

"You're the one who didn't lock the door!" Jesse responded. "If you'd like to continue, go for it, we'll wait."

"Oh my God," Beca said, her face now a deep shade of crimson. Chloe giggled before walking back to the brunette.

"It's cool, we'll continue later," she said with a wink before bringing Beca's lips to hers for a short, chaste kiss.

"Hey, before you go, the band Jesse and I are in is playing a show this weekend. Would you want to come?" Beca asked, and Chloe's face lit up.

"Of course I'll come, Becs! Is that even a question?" Chloe answered, and Beca chuckled. She stopped suddenly, and a wide smirk took over her face as an idea formed in her head.

"Bring Aubrey too, don't take no for answer," she ordered. Chloe looked at the girl at first in confusion, but seeing the smirk on her face, she decided not to ask questions.

"Ok then," she said with a giggle. "See you soon, rock star." She winked again as she left the room, and laughed as Jesse tried to apologize, quickly assuring him it was perfectly all right. The two boys entered the room, with Jesse wearing his trademark goofy grin.

"So..." He said. "How was it?" Beca rolled her eyes.

"Magical," she said stoically. "Now, more importantly, would you be down to play 'our song' at our show this weekend?" Jesse's face scrunched up in confusion at the question.

"Sure, but why?" He asked. Beca grinned.

"Because we've got a point to make to a certain stubborn blonde," she said.


	5. Chapter 5

**Metalli-Beca**

_A/N: I'm not sure if this is warranted, but I' going to place a slight trigger warning here, as there is some mention of death and suicide in some of the song lyrics. It isn't graphic or detailed, but it's there nonetheless, so here's your warning. The lyrics are in italics. Also, I really want to know what I could work on to improve. Obviously, I can tell my writing isn't perfect, so any feedback is welcome. Thanks for reading, and thank you to everyone who had followed, favorited, or reviewed this. And I hope you enjoy the story._

_Chapter 5:_

"This place is a dump," Aubrey stated, not trying to hide her discomfort. She had been dragged kicking and screaming by Chloe, along with Stacie, Cynthia Rose, Amy, and Lilly, to a small club somewhere in the middle of Atlanta for Beca's band's first show. Well, it was their first show including Beca and Jesse. The club itself wasn't much to look at. It was relatively small, and a haze of smoke hung over the crowd. All in all, Aubrey's assessment was not inaccurate. Still, no one else was complaining, they were excited to see Beca's band perform, as they had never heard her sing or play. None of them could match Chloe's enthusiasm though. The girl was ceaselessly bouncing up and down with excitement.

"Oh my gosh, I can't wait for them to start," she squealed, completely ignoring Aubrey's complaints.

"So I see," she said. "But why were you so insistent that I come along? You know I don't enjoy this... type of music." The blonde almost sounded pained at calling it such. Chloe rolled her eyes.

"Oh, Bree, chill out. You might actually like some of it. At the very least, it's pretty impressive stuff," Chloe tried to reassure her friend. "And if you must know, your presence was requested by none other than Beca herself." Aubrey scoffed.

"Why? So she can torture me?" She replied cynically.

"Well, maybe a little," Chloe teased. "But I'd guess it has more to do with convincing you that Jesse's 'toner' isn't for her." The blonde narrowed her gaze at Chloe, unsure of what she meant.

"As if that were possible..." She said, unconvinced.

"Hmm... You might be surprised," Chloe said quietly with a knowing smirk, though whether Aubrey heard her or not, she couldn't tell.

"So, is it just me, or is this the most dudes with hair longer than your own that you've ever seen in one place?" Stacie piped up, and the rest of the girls laughed quietly, nodding in agreement. "Never was a fan of guys with long hair..."

"Oh really? And here we thought you were a fan of everything," Amy joked.

"Oh, I didn't say I wouldn't hook up with a guy with long hair," the tall brunette replied with a smirk. "Just not as my first choice." The girls continued to talk and make jokes while they waited for the show to start. From her place backstage, Beca could see the girls and she smiled, as she had been somewhat irrationally worried they might not come. Also, she was glad Chloe was able to get Aubrey to come, as she was pretty fed up with the blonde girl ignoring what was so painfully obvious to the rest of the world.

"So which one's your girl?" she heard a bright voice speak from behind her. Beca turned her head slightly to meet the gaze of Jean, the drummer for their band. The girl was a little taller than Beca. She had pale skin and a petite, slender figure, but she was very much in shape, considering the amount of effort she exerted every time she played her instrument. She wore heavy black eye liner, not unlike Beca, but had a much more extensive collection of piercings on her ears and face. Her hair was long and straight, and the normally dark color had been died multiple shades of pink, blue, and purple. According to Luke, she was the best drummer in Georgia, and after seeing her play, Beca didn't doubt him. The girl had an immense talent for percussion and rhythm, and had an unrivaled amount of energy when she played. Beca laughed softly before answering the drummer.

"She's not my girl, dude," Beca stated, to be met with a slight frown of confusion from Jean.

"But Jesse said she kissed you," she said. Beca sighed happily at the memory.

"Yea, but we haven't had a chance to really talk about it yet. We aren't anything official yet," she said.

"Yet," Jean declared with a smile, quoting the short guitarist, who just laughed.

"I hope so, dude," she said.

"So which one is she?" Jean asked. Beca nodded her head towards the girls now standing close to the stage.

"The redhead with the impossibly large smile," she said, looking back at the subject of their conversation. Jean whistled upon seeing her.

"Damn, girl. If I were gay, I'd be after her too," she said, and Beca chuckled.

"Yea, and if I were straight, I'd be after your brother," the brunette joked. The two girls turned to look at Sam, Jean's twin brother, who was the band's bassist. He was the same height, and also had long, dark hair that fell neatly over his shoulders. His features were somewhat fair, but he had this short stubble and strong jawline that made him look incredibly masculine and dreamy. And his steely, pale eyes looked as though they could see into your very soul. Also, he totally had the quiet, mysterious guy act down that Beca was sure would send any straight female into instant fan girl mode. Jean contemplated her words for a moment.

"Yea, that's fair," she said, and both she and Beca burst into laughter. "And I guess that's a complement to me too, since were identical twins."

"Don't get too ahead of yourself," Beca teased, and Jean shoved her playfully.

"Whatever, dude. If I were gay and Chloe didn't exist, you'd be all over me," she stated confidently.

"Hmm, someone's humble," Beca countered with a smirk. Before Jean could reply, Luke announced that it was about time for them to take the stage. Beca slung her guitar over her shoulders and checked the tuning again. As she adjusted the pegs, she realized her hands were shaking and she quickly tried to calm herself down. She felt like she deserved to be a bit anxious, considering this was her and Jesse's first real performance with this band, but that didn't make her feel any better.

"Nervous?" Sam asked, noticing the brunette's behavior. Beca looked at him in surprise, as he rarely spoke.

"A bit," she said, laughing slightly. He stared at her for a moment.

"Don't be," was all he said before walking onto the stage.

'Well that was helpful,' Beca thought sardonically, before adjusting the strap of her guitar. She was about to follow him out when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned to see Jesse standing next to her.

"Don't screw up," he said with a grin, and Beca rolled her eyes at the boy.

"Speak for yourself," she replied with a smirk before stepping out onto the stage. The crowd began to cheer, which surprised Beca, but she surmised that the band had at least a small following before losing its previous lead singer and guitarist. She noticed Chloe was screaming her name, wearing a huge, proud smile on her face, the sight of which caused Beca's heart to swell. Feeling a surge of confidence, she blew a kiss to the redhead, followed by a wink, which caused the redhead to swoon as the lights in the room went dark. Chloe looked at the stage in awe as a small guitar melody began to emanate from the monitors, and two spotlights shone onto Beca and Aaron respectively as they played. The simple melody didn't last long, as the rest of the band suddenly joined in with an explosion of sound as the stage lit up.

_"DARE ME TO JUMP OFF OF THIS JERSEY BRIDGE"_

The scream first came from Jesse; it was a full, heavy scream that caught the Bellas in the front of the crowd completely off guard. However, that was nothing compared to the voice that immediately followed.

_"I BET YOU NEVER HAD A FRIDAY NIGHT LIKE THIS"_

The shrill cry came from the short brunette. Her scream was higher in pitch than Jesse's, but no less intense. And so they began to scream alternate lyrics of the first verse.

_"KEEP IT UP, KEEP IT UP, LET'S RAISE OUR HANDS"_

_"I TAKE A LOOK UP AT THE SKY AND I SEE RED"_

_"RED FOR THE CANCER, RED FOR THE WEALTHY / RED FOR THE DRINK THAT'S MIXED WITH SUICIDE"_

_"EVERYTHING RED"_

The pair uttered the last line together, before Beca began to sing, and Chloe once again got to hear the voice she loved so much.

_"Please won't you push me for the last time / let's scream until there's nothing left / so sick of playing I don't want to anymore / the thought of you's no fuckin' fun / you want a martyr, I'll be one / because enough's enough, we're done"_

Beca took a step back from the mic as she finished the verse, moving her head to the beat of the music with her hair flying back and forth as she did so. Her actions were mimicked by the rest of the band, save Jesse, who began to sing the chorus.

_"You told me think about it / well, I did / now I don't wanna feel a thing anymore / I'm tired of begging for the things that I want / I'm over sleeping like a dog on the floor"_

As he finished singing, the stage went dark, except for the spotlight now trained on Beca. The rest of the band was silent as she played the next two bars of the song, before coming back in with Jesse uttering a ferocious, inarticulate scream into his mic. The song continued much in the same manner, with Beca and Jesse alternating vocals, while Jean was a flurry of moving limbs behind her drum kit, and she whipped her multi-colored hair in circles as she played, along with Sam and Aaron. The three guitarists moved around the stage constantly, banging their heads as they played. Luke, for his part, was mostly focused on playing, and didn't draw much attention to himself. Chloe and the rest of the accompanying Bellas were entranced by the sheer energy and aggression on the stage before them. Even Aubrey was mildly impressed, though she would later describe the songs as a 'cacophonous racket.' After finishing the breakdown of the song, Beca and Jesse again alternated screaming, with Jesse taking the first line, before returning to unison for the final line.

_"NOW TERROR BEGINS INSIDE A BLOODLESS VEIN"_

_"I WAS JUST A PRODUCT OF THE STREET YOUTH RAGE"_

_"BORN IN THIS WORLD WITHOUT A VOICE OR SAY"_

_"CAUGHT IN THE SPOKES WITH AN ABANDONED BRAIN"_

_"I KNOW YOU WELL BUT THIS AIN'T A GAME"_

_"BLOW THE SMOKE IN DIAMOND SHAPE"_

_"DYING IS A GIFT SO CLOSE YOUR EYES AND REST IN PEACE"_

On the final chorus, all of the music stopped, except for the drums and Jesse's voice, with intermittent instrumental breaks. As he reached the end of his part, Jesse uttered a scream that sent shivers down Aubrey's spine as she watched the boy.

_"I'm tired of begging for the THINGS THAT I WANT / I'm oversleeping like a dog on the floor"_

The girls were still reeling from Jesse's voice when Beca took over, and from the small girl came the most bloodcurdling, bone chilling wail that anyone in the crowd had ever heard.

_"Imagine living like a king someday / A single night without a ghost in the walls / We are the shadows screaming TAKE US NOW"_

Jesse joined his best friend for the conclusion of the song.

"We'd rather die than live to rust on the ground"

The song came to an abrupt end, and Chloe was stunned by what she had just witnessed, and she began to fall even harder for the little brunette, which she had not thought possible. Despite not being a fan of the style of music, the sheer passion Beca had exuded on the stage was intoxicating to the redhead. The crowd erupted in cheers, and Beca flashed a huge grin.

"Holy shit, short-stack can scream," Amy commented.

"And her singing was incredible!" Said Cynthia Rose. Chloe looked at Aubrey mischievously, nudging her slightly as she spoke.

"Jesse looked pretty impressive up there too, huh?" She teased. Aubrey didn't have a chance to answer, because at that moment, Luke's voice came through the speakers.

"So, what did you guys think of our new singers?" He asked the crowd, which responded with indecipherable cheers and screams. "All right, well I'm going to let Beca here say a few words before the next song begins." Having used Beca's mic, he replaced it in it's stand before returning to his keyboards, while Beca stepped up to speak.

"Hey guys," she began somewhat timidly. "I'm Beca, and this idiot here is my best friend, Jesse." She pointed at the singer who just shook his head in response, earning a laugh from the crowd. "This next song has a bit of history for us, the details aren't really important, but we've taken to calling it 'our song.'" Chloe and Aubrey exchanged confused glances upon hearing this, which didn't go unnoticed by Beca, who now wore a confident smirk. "So, we'd like to dedicate 'our song' to one member of the crowd, and that person would be..." She paused, building up a slight suspense. "Aubrey Posen. And the song is called Makeshift Chemistry" The brunette smirked and pointed right at the blonde, whose eyes widened at the revelation, before stepping back and diving right into the opening guitar riff of the next song. The crowd roared as they began, and Jesse started the first verse of the mid tempo song, growling out the lyrics which Chloe and Aubrey were unable to decipher, much to their chagrin, considering the circumstances.

'What the hell are they doing?' Aubrey thought as she watched the performance unfold. Eventually, Jesse switched to singing as the song picked up its pace. This time around, his voice was clear, and Aubrey listened intently for any indication as to why the song was being played for her. She hadn't gained any insight when the chorus began. As it did, Beca, Aaron, Sam, and Jean a began to windmill their hair in unison, and even Aubrey had to admit that it looked pretty badass.

_"Operator is there anybody at all / that can explain why I'd give everything and more up for her / I know it's unbelievable but something bout her I can't resist / but she doesn't even know I exist"_

Upon hearing the words, both Aubrey and Chloe started to think the song was simply about the blonde, but then why had Beca called it 'their song?' Chloe didn't think too hard on it, as she was quickly enthralled by the short brunette, both by her playing and her movements. During the next chorus, however, Jesse actually pointed at Beca as he sang, clearly singing to her. For some reason, Aubrey felt a rage rising from her gut at the sight, though she wasn't entirely sure why, as she felt this was only proving what she had known all along. However, when Jesse finished the chorus, Beca began to sing, which only served to confuse the blonde further.

_"Darling, won't you forgive me / I'm just looking for a little bit of love in this heartbreak city / Darling, won't you forgive me / I'm looking for a little bit of love"_

And Beca was clearly singing the lyrics back to Jesse, looking him dead in the eye as she did so, before the boy turned back to the crowd to scream.

_"BUT SHE DOESN'T EVEN KNOW I EXIST"_

The anger that had been building in Aubrey receded back into confusion, though Chloe had an idea where this was going. The song slowed, with the guitars ringing out the last chord, and Jean slowly began to build a beat through the ambient noise as Jesse began to sing.

_"All I wanted was to be your love / But now you've left and I can not fill the void / All I wanted was to be your love / But now I'm finally MOVING ON"_

As Jesse's final scream ended, the only thing that could be heard was a laugh. It was a small sound, one that sounded like a strange mix of innocent and evil. Aubrey and Chloe looked to Beca, who had been the source of the haunting sound. With a devious smirk on her face, she looked at the pair before, pausing slightly before beginning her next line.

"I don't give a _FUCK_!"

The entire crowd erupted into cheers as the breakdown of the song began, and Chloe and Aubrey were petrified, their eyes wide in shock. The redhead now grasped what the point of the song was, and she quickly regained her composure before looking at her best friend, wondering if she got it. Unable to get a read on the blonde's thoughts, Chloe returned her attention to the performance, which made a few more transitions before ending with Jesse repeating the anguished scream.

_"BUT SHE DOESN'T EVEN KNOW I EXIST"_

Chloe looked at the blonde and smirked. She may be stubborn, but she was intelligent, and Chloe was fairly certain she got the message.

"So," she began, poking Aubrey's shoulder. "Still think he's got a 'toner' for Beca?" Aubrey looked back at the grinning ginger and shook her head.

"I suppose after that, it be pretty hard to think he was still after Mitchell," she conceded.

"Just so we're clear, Aubrey Posen is admitting that she was wrong and that Chloe Beale was right?" The redhead teased, which earned her a playful slap from the blonde.

"Oh, shut it, Chloe," she said with a small grin. They continued to watch the show, which lasted for another forty five minutes, the set list including songs by Children of Bodom, Nightwish, Amaranthe, Metallica, Megadeth, and Within Temptation. Chloe's favorite song ended up being one called 'Silent Night, Bodom Night.' It wasn't for the vocals, by any means, as they were all harsh screams and no singing. However, it had been Beca's time to show off her virtuosity, as she played intense duets with both Aaron and Luke, as well as her own solos throughout the song. Chloe loved the way the brunette focused as her fingers moved deftly across the instrument, which was now a black v-shaped guitar, one of the many Beca owned. As the short brunette played, Chloe could see her muscles flexing as her fingers performed their musical acrobatics, which drove the redhead crazy.

"Jeez, Chloe, close your mouth. I think you might actually be drooling," Aubrey joked. Chloe's agape jaw snapped shut and her face flushed red in embarrassment.

"Sorry, it's just she's soooo sexy when she plays guitar," Chloe said, shuddering slightly at the thought.

"Yea, seriously," Cynthia Rose agreed. Stacie licked her lips and nodded.

"Damn. I bet she's really talented with her fingers..." the busty brunette whispered, and Amy and Aubrey stared the other girls. The Australian leaned over to Aubrey and whispered in her ear.

"I was wrong. More than one of us is definitely a lesbian," she said fearfully, at which Aubrey burst into laughter. As the show came to a close, most of the girls sighed in relief. As much as they had enjoyed watching Beca, the music itself was pretty intense, and they weren't sure they could handle it much longer. The Bellas met Beca outside of the club after the band had retrieved all of their gear. Seeing her favorite brunette, Chloe nearly tackled the girl in a bone crunching hug, before planting a kiss on her cheek.

"Oh my God, Beca, that was awesome!" She squealed, and Beca flashed a wide grin at the redhead. "And I think Aubrey got your point." The brunette turned to look at Aubrey, who simply nodded her acknowledgement.

"It's about damn time," she said. "Aubrey, look, Jesse really likes you. So, the next time he tries to ask you out, give him a chance, ok?" Aubrey's gaze met her own, and she smiled slightly.

"I think I can handle that," Aubrey said. "Though I wasn't completely wrong." Beca scoffed.

"Yea, but you were two years late, Posen," she said, and Aubrey just shook her head. She couldn't get her retort out, however, for at that point, Amy cut in.

"Man, shorty, Chloe wasn't lying when she said how awesome you were," the Australian stated.

"Yea, seriously Beca, that was badass," Cynthia Rose agreed. "Even if it was a little rough to listen to." Beca chuckled at her statement.

"Thanks for coming, guys, it really means a lot," she said before the rest of the band approached from behind.

"Not your girl, huh?" Jean asked sarcastically as she saw the brunette's arm still wrapped around Chloe's waist. Beca just rolled her eyes.

"Guys, meet the rest of the band. This weirdo," she said, pointing at Jean. "Is Jean, the drummer. That's her twin brother, Sam, who plays bass." Stacie's breath hitched slightly at the sight of the boy, who simply stared at the group. "He doesn't say much. This is Luke, who handles keyboards and other electronics. He also manages the campus radio station. That's Aaron, the rhythm guitarist. And I think you all know this goofball." Jesse chuckled at his introduction. The Bellas took in the sight of the six musicians in awe before Beca introduced them to the band. The group talked and laughed for a bit, with Aaron and Jean being fascinated by A Capella, while Stacie flirted furiously with Sam, who was less than receptive. In fact, he scarcely even noticed what the girl was doing. Eventually, the groups parted ways, as it was rather late. Since Aubrey drove Chloe, the redhead texted Beca the entire drive back to their dorm.

_"Hey, rock star. Wanna get some coffee with me? ;)"_

_"Chlo, it's like 2 a.m."_

_" :( "_

_"Breakfast tomorrow?"_

_"Hmm, I guess that'll have to suffice. See ya then. ;)"_

Beca smiled as she read the text. It had been a damn near perfect night.


	6. Chapter 6

**Metalli-Beca**

_Chapter 6:_

Beca rubbed her eyes and yawned as she walked with Chloe towards their favorite breakfast diner. Somehow, the short girl had failed to realize that getting breakfast with Chloe after going to bed some time after 2 o'clock in the morning would result more lost sleep than she was really comfortable with. Not that the redhead seemed to mind; she simply walked along with that huge, silly grin on her face that she always displayed. It was that smile alone that motivated Beca to keep her promise of breakfast with the older girl. Beca smiled to herself as she watched the girl walk slightly ahead of her. Chloe was definitely much more of a morning person, and she walked with a bit more spring in her step than Beca. The girl was so excited, she was practically skipping, which made Beca laugh slightly to herself. However, she was also forced to try to not focus on how good Chloe's ass looked in her jeans, lest her face become intimately familiar with the concrete of the sidewalk. After a few minutes, Chloe turned around to grab Beca's hand, pulling the girl closer to her side as they walked.

"Not much of a morning person, I see," she commented with a grin as she linked their arms together.

"What gave me away?" Beca joked, smirking at the redhead, who simply raised her eyebrows at the younger girl. "In all honesty, I don't really hate mornings intrinsically, I just like to sleep. A lot."

"Well, maybe you could come over to my place and take a nap while I work on my homework?" Chloe suggested. "That way we could still hang out, sort of. And you can get away from your roommate."

"That... actually sounds really nice," Beca replied. Chloe grinned at the short girl.

"Awesome!" she said as the pair arrived at their destination. They quickly sat down at a booth in the back and placed their orders. They sat in silence for a moment, before Beca decided to ask what had been bugging her since the night before her gig.

"So..." she began with trepidation, unsure of where this conversation would lead. "What exactly are we?" Chloe just looked confused at the brunette. "I mean, we kissed, or whatever, right? So, yea, um, that was, umm... Do you wanna be my girlfriend?" Beca pretty much blurted out the final line in such a way that it was as indecipherable as her screams from the previous night. Chloe just giggled at Beca, unable to think she was being anything short of absolutely adorable. Beca, on the other hand, was not so pleased with her words. It had been easy enough for the guitarist to talk about this with Jean, and she had in her mind exactly what she had planned to say to the redhead, yet, here she was, stuttering like a shy schoolgirl. This wasn't her. Beca Mitchell didn't stutter and speed talk.

"Hmm... I don't think so," Chloe said with a smirk, which instantly caused Beca's heart to sink. She had really come to like the ginger, and had hoped that all of her fears that she would never return the feeling would never be realized. The feeling of disappointment overshadowed any confusion that should have arisen from the memory of Chloe's kiss, which would have alerted her that this was not an actual rejection.

"Oh..." Beca replied, looking at her feet, barely able to contain her sadness.

"Because you have to take me on a date first, silly!" Chloe said quickly, realizing the effect her teasing was having on the small girl. Beca looked back up at her, and was met with the most sincere smile she had ever seen, and instantly all of her fear and disappointment and sadness evaporated, as was replaced with pure joy. Though, that was quickly followed by indignation.

"Not cool," she said, sticking her tongue out, and Chloe responded with a laugh. "Maybe I shouldn't ask you out after all..."

"Please, you know you can't resist me," Chloe said confidently. Beca opened her mouth to protest and held up her index finger, thought for a moment, then decided to concede.

"Just don't abuse that power," she said. "At least not for anything... unpleasant."

"So I can use it for pleasurable things?" Chloe asked, winking at the brunette, who simply blushed and suddenly found her glass of orange juice incredibly interesting. She also began to play with her ear spike, which had become her go to reaction when she felt nervous or awkward or, well, anything short of comfortable with the current situation. The senior found this, again, to be incredibly cute. After a few seconds of silence, she spoke up again. "So, you still have yet to ask me on that date..."

"Oh! Right. Um. Well..." Beca began. Chloe looked at her expectantly.

"I'm guessing you've never asked anyone out before," she said after the guitarist failed to verbalize what Chloe knew was in her head.

"Yea, like I said, I only ever dated Jesse, so I'm pretty hopeless when it comes to this," Beca replied sheepishly.

"I promise it's not as hard as you're making it seem in your head," Chloe reassured her.

"You've had practice with this?" She asked with a small smirk.

"Hmm... I may have asked out a few girls in my time at Barden," Chloe replied with a wink. Beca chuckled. "I'm pretty confident about all this." Chloe gestured to indicate her body, which Beca found herself hopelessly ensnared into staring at, which caused the ginger to smile proudly.

"You should be," Beca responded with a smile. She took a deep breath, calming herself. "Would you like to go on a date with me?" Chloe beamed at the shorter girl.

"Of course, Beca!" She exclaimed, pulling her into a bone crushing hug across the table. Beca was torn between staying in the warm embrace that was a Chloe Beale hug and saving her neck from being broken by the awkward angle and incredible force of said hug, before the decision was made for her by an awkward cough from the waitress who held their breakfast. The two girls quickly broke their contact and fell back into their seats as the waitress placed their food on the table, retreating quickly to the kitchen for fear of seeing any more displays of affection. Beca and Chloe looked at each other for a second before breaking out into laughter. "So, when do you want to have that date?" Beca thought for a moment before giving her answer.

"Well, I mean, we both have too many classes and rehearsals next week to do it before the weekend. But I really don't want to wait that long. I want you to be my girlfriend now," Beca pouted. Chloe was stunned. Beca pouted. This was the same girl who, not six hours ago, was up on a stage, wailing with the voice of both an angel and a demon, shredding her way through songs Chloe had never thought could be played without the aid of a machine, and here she was in a diner, pouting. The whole situation reduced Chloe to hysterics, nearly bringing tears to her eyes from laughing so hard. "Dude! What's so funny?"

"I'm sorry, I just never thought I'd see someone so utterly badass pout," Chloe said smugly, and Beca rolled her eyes.

"Excuse me for finding you attractive and wanting to be your girlfriend sooner," she replied sardonically. Chloe retained her grin as she prepared her response.

"I was mostly kidding about you having to take me on a date before we became girlfriends," she said, emphasizing the 'before.' "Though I do still want to go on the date."

"So... what you're saying is... you would be my girlfriend now?" Beca asked.

"Yes, Becs, of course I'll be your girlfriend," Chloe answered with a wide grin on her face, which was promptly returned by the shorter girl, before her face went blank again.

"Does that mean we can make out?" Beca asked seriously, her eyes wide. Chloe smiled sweetly at the little guitarist.

"Sure," she said, and Beca made a small fist pump, earning a chuckle from the ginger, before beginning to scarf down the remainder of her food, which prompted Chloe to do the same. As much as they both wanted to leave, they couldn't fight their hunger. Still, it was mere minutes before they had finished and paid, and began to practically sprint back to Chloe's dorm. They crossed the campus in what was surely record time, and Chloe quickly pulled the shorter girl into her dorm, which was, mercifully, lacking the presence of a certain blonde. The two girls fell on to a bed, giggling the whole time. Chloe began to kiss Beca's lips softly, and, wasting no time, the kiss quickly became more passionate as their tongues roamed across each others' lips and into their mouths, sending waves of shivers and tingles down the girls' spines. Completely lost in the moment, Chloe started kissing Beca's neck, to which Beca responded with a soft moan. She and Jesse had rarely kissed, let alone did anything this serious, so all of the sensations were completely new to Beca, and she had to admit, it was pretty awesome. Suddenly, Chloe stopped nipping at the brunette's neck and pushed herself up slightly, looking around the room with a puzzled look on her face.

"Did I do something wrong?" Beca asked nervously. Chloe whipped her head back to face Beca, and smiled down at her new girlfriend.

"No, sweetie, you're wonderful," she said sweetly. "It's just, we kind of didn't land on my bed..." Beca's eyes widened at the realization.

"Oh, dear God, move! I'm too young to die!" Beca shrieked as she attempted to push Chloe off of her so that she could vacate Aubrey's bed, but Chloe had other plans in mind. Knowing Aubrey wouldn't be back for at least another two hours, as she had texted her that she would be in the library, she thought she might have some fun with Beca.

"But don't you think it would be so much hotter if we might get caught doing this somewhere we shouldn't be?" She said into Beca's ear in a sultry voice. The brunette just shivered, feeling Chloe's warm breath on her ear and neck, and nearly losing herself to the redhead again, before coming back to her senses.

"Dude! No! She'll freaking kill me!" Beca resumed her struggle underneath the ginger. Chloe wasn't exactly heavy, but she kept herself in good enough shape to have a respectable amount of muscle, and this, combined with her greater height, allowed her to keep the smaller girl pinned on the bed. "Chloe!" The redhead only smirked before capturing Beca's lips with her own. She grabbed the girl's wrists and forced them over her head, effectively trapping the tiny brunette as she continued to kiss her. She realized that not only could she not overpower the redhead, she rather enjoyed the feel of her lips on her own. They were soft, and tasted slightly of cherry, the irony of which was lost on Beca. Still, she figured if she was going to die at the hands of the blonde, she may as well die happy, so she ceased her futile resistance to the ginger that lay atop her. After twenty minutes or so of making out with Chloe, Beca began to think Aubrey just might not show up. That is, until, she heard the door open.

"Thanks again, Jesse," Aubrey said as she walked into the dorm, looking at the boy behind her. "I'm really – OH MY GOD!" Beca and Chloe simultaneously snapped their heads in the direction of the voice, seeing Aubrey staring at the pair in shock, with Jesse stifling a laugh behind her.

"Oh shit..." was all Beca managed to say.

It took the better part of the next hour to calm Aubrey, with Beca hiding behind Chloe and Jesse to escape the blonde's wrath. Chloe tried to explain it was really her fault, which caused Aubrey to relent slightly. Jesse, for his part, was no help, as he spent the whole time laughing at Beca, who had desperately tried to will herself out of existence. Sadly, she failed, and was subject to endless teasing from her best friend, along with reminders of the wonders of locks. In the end, Aubrey reluctantly forgave the couple before kicking Jesse out, as she had homework to do. She relented to letting Beca stay on the condition that she and Chloe keep their hands, and lips, to themselves. Regardless, Beca decided to clear out as well, still feeling quite awkward after the whole ordeal. Still, that didn't stop her from grinning like an idiot when Chloe kissed her goodbye, and she was unable to remove the smirk from her face as she made her way back to her own room.

When she arrived, not even the sight of a room full of Asians playing on Kimmie Jin's Wii could completely remove the smile. Beca just rolled her eyes and decided to go to Jean's place and practice guitar, seeing as she was no longer in the mood to sleep after the day's earlier excitement.

'_Hey, is it cool if I come over to your place to play for a bit?_' She texted the drummer. The house that the drummer shared with her twin brother served as the rehearsal space for the band, because, as Jean put it so eloquently, she had "the most shit to move, so it's easier for you to come to me," which Beca thought was fair. Jean's response came shortly.

'_Sure, that's fine. I'm out at the moment but Sam will be there to let you in._' Beca cringed.

'Great. Alone time with Sam. This won't be awkward at all,' she thought as she read the text before typing out a quick thanks and heading towards the house. It wasn't the shortest of journeys on foot, but it wasn't like Beca had a car. She could have asked Jesse for a ride but she wanted a few moments of solitude. Her destination wasn't that far from the radio station, and most of her equipment was already at the house, so walking was bearable. When she arrived at the small brick house, she knocked on the door. After about thirty seconds without an answer the brunette raised her hand to knock again before the door opened revealing the long haired bassist with the perfect face.

"Hey, umm..." Beca began awkwardly, with Sam giving her a quizzical look. "Jean said it was cool if I came over to play for a little while." Sam stared at the girl for a few seconds before ushering her in silently.

'Jeez, and I thought Kimmie Jin was quiet...' Beca thought as Sam took a seat in the living room, picking up the book he had been reading. She observed the title of the book, snorting when she read the title. 'The Notebook? Seriously?' Sam quickly looked up, glaring at the short girl.

"Umm, I'm just gonna..." Beca began, but she failed to finish her sentence under the boy's glare, opting instead to simply run down the hallway towards their practice room. She let out a long breath as she closed the door behind her. Roughly a half an hour or so later, Jean returned from grocery shopping, which had been the cause of her absence. Noticing her brother still reading on the couch, not having moved since she left, she chuckled slightly.

"How many times have you read that now?" She asked him.

"Six," he replied curtly, not looking up from the book. Jean giggled. Seeing her brother wearing only dark clothing and band tees while reading a Nicholas Sparks book wasn't a new sight to her, but it was no less comical each time. It was then that she also noticed the sound of a distorted electrical guitar emanating from the practice room.

"Beca, I assume?" She inquired of the sound. Sam didn't move save for his eyes, which left the book to stare at her for all of two seconds before returning to the ever important task of deciphering the ink on the pages in front of him. Taking this to be a confirmation, the drummer dropped the groceries in the kitchen before heading to the practice room. She opened the door to find the brunette with her back to the entrance, holding her black Gibson Explorer, her favorite guitar next to her B.C. Rich Bich, playing a melody unrecognizable to the drummer.

"What is that?" She asked the shorter girl, who ceased her playing as she turned around.

"Oh, it's just some song Chloe likes a lot," she said timidly, not wanting to reveal the nature of the song.

"What song is it?" Jean inquired curiously. Beca bit her lip for a moment before answering.

"It's called Titanium. It's by some dude named David Guetta," she said.

"Isn't he like a DJ?" Jean asked skeptically, surprised that Beca would be playing a pop song.

"I guess. It's actually not half bad. Chloe really likes it too so I thought it might be good to learn it so that I could play it for her or whatever," she said. Jean grinned upon hearing this.

"Aw! That's adorable!" She squealed, earning Beca's signature eye roll.

"Dude!" the brunette whined. "Why do so many people think that? I'm not adorable. Adorable isn't metal." Jean laughed at this.

"Please, no one gives a damn how 'metal' you are once you're off that stage. Besides, isn't it way more metal to not give a shit what people think?" She responded with a grin. Beca contemplated her point.

"Why is everyone but me always right?" she said with exasperation. "Well, everyone except Aubrey..." Beca was not about to admit that there might be a chance that the blonde was right more often than her, regardless of the actual ratios of their disagreements. Jean chuckled at the girl.

"So," she started to say, drawing out her word. "How are you and Chloe?" Jean looked at Beca wide eyed and expectantly, more than a little curious as to the progression of their relationship.

"Oh," responded with surprise. She hadn't been expecting the drummer to care, though, in hindsight, she probably should have. "Yea, um, I asked her to be my girlfriend."

"And...?" Inquired Jean.

"She said yes," Beca said with a proud smirk. Jean, with a huge grin, held up her hand for a high five, which Beca promptly returned. "We're going on a date this weekend."

"Nice. So where are you taking her?" Jean asked. Beca froze. She hadn't thought of that. In fact, she hadn't thought of the fact that she'd never taken anyone on a date before. Her eyes went wide in realization and horror. Jean just looked at the petrified guitarist. "You have no idea, do you?" Beca slowly shook her head. Jean sighed. She should have expected this.

"Dude, I'm so screwed!" Beca groaned.

"Oh, don't be such a drama queen," Jean chided. "Just take her to dinner and a movie or something. That's what most guys do when they take a girl out."

"Yea, but that sounds so... cliché..." Beca said. She clinched the bridge of her nose with her index finger and thumb. Jean shook her head, smiling. As exasperating as this conversation may be, she thought it was pretty sweet of Beca to not want to be like every other guy or girl that had ever taken Chloe out. Beca was fiddling with her ear spike with her right hand while her left was running through a multitude of scales up and down the neck of her guitar. Jean ran her hand through her multi-colored hair as she contemplated the issue. She smirked as an idea ran through her head.

"Exactly how much does Chloe like that Titanium song?" She asked. Beca ceased her nervous actions and looked at the girl dead in the face.

"A lot..." was all she said. Her eyes widened as she grasped Jean's idea without having even been told it. "You think that will work?"

"You tell me," Jean replied. Beca smirked as she reached for her phone to text Jesse and Luke.

_A/N: So, after writing the last two chapters, I really want to write a story about Jean. She would be mostly the same character, with a few minor changes. Also, it would be in a universe more closely resembling the actual canon of Pitch Perfect, and would almost definitely feature Bechloe. Does that sound like something potentially worth reading? If you decide to review, could you maybe include your opinion on this, or PM me, if it's not too much trouble? And, as always, thank you all for reading, favoriting, following, etc... :)_


	7. Chapter 7

**Metalli-Beca**

_Chapter 7:_

Chloe flicked her pencil idly as she sat in class. She was trying to pay attention to the lecture, but quite honestly, she was far too concerned with her plans later that night to really comprehend any of the material. It was Friday, the night of her first date with her new girlfriend, Beca. While Chloe hadn't been lying when she told Beca she had asked out several girls over the course of her college career, they had all been fairly shallow relationships. It wasn't much different when guys took her on dates either. In reality, as confident as she may have been, it had been a long time since she had gone on a meaningful first date, and, as a result, she was quite anxious. It didn't help that Beca had picked this particular week to hole up in her room, working on something that remained a mystery to the redhead. The little guitarist had even gone so far as to ban Chloe from visiting when she had tried to come see her after class, which was more than a bit unsettling to her. Interestingly enough, it was Aubrey who had reassured her, telling her that she shouldn't worry about Beca, saying that the ginger should just trust her. As if Beca's behavior wasn't disconcerting enough, now Aubrey was on Beca's side, which only served to add to Chloe's bewilderment. Still, today was the day that she'd been waiting for all week, and she was more than ready to get out of her final class so she could get prepare for the night. When she finally returned to her dorm, she found Aubrey sitting at her desk amongst a mountain of books and papers.

"Please tell me you aren't working on homework on a Friday afternoon?" Chloe implored, desperately wanting her friend to not stress herself out, as she knew she often could. Aubrey looked up from her work and smiled at her, sensing Chloe's concern.

"Don't worry, Chloe, I promise I'm only working on this assignment for another hour and then I'm done for the weekend," she said. Chloe smiled sweetly at her, thankful she wasn't about to pull what she deemed as an unnecessary all night work session. They tended to make her even more tightly wound at Bellas rehearsals. She turned around to go retrieve the outfit she had picked out for her date that night. "Also, I'm giving the Bellas a break from morning rehearsal tomorrow." Chloe whipped her head around back towards her best friend, stunned that Aubrey would do such a thing.

"Are you serious?" she exclaimed. Aubrey nodded at the shocked girl.

"Dixie Chicks serious," she confirmed with a smirk. Chloe's jaw dropped. Aubrey never canceled rehearsals.

"But why? Don't we have the SBT gig next weekend?" Chloe asked.

"Yes, but honestly, even I think you all need a break. We'll just make up for it on Sunday and the rest of the week's rehearsals. Plus, I suspect someone may be out late tonight," the blonde senior said slyly. Chloe's eyes widened at the realization of what Aubrey was saying. By now, she figured her face looked pretty ridiculous, but that was beside the point.

"Oh my God, Bree!" she yelped as she rushed her roommate, pulling her into a spine shattering hug. "You are the best friend a girl could ever want!"

"If you feel that way, perhaps you shouldn't squeeze me to death," Aubrey managed to choke out through the tight embrace. Chloe quickly released her grip, apologizing to her friend. 'Where the hell does that strength come from?' Aubrey thought as she took deep gulps of air, trying to recover from what she would describe as a near death experience. When she felt she was no longer in any mortal peril, she spoke up again. "So do you know what you're going to wear this time? As I recall, you were pretty distraught last time you wanted to impress the little banshee." Chloe chuckled at the nickname Aubrey had been using since Beca's gig. It was, in some aspects, pretty accurate. Plus, Beca liked it because she thought it sounded cool.

"No, I've had nothing to do this week outside of class and rehearsals except agonize over the thought of tonight, so I had plenty of time to decide on my outfit. But seriously, why has she been avoiding me all week?" Chloe almost whined, causing Aubrey to giggle again. She knew better than most the state of Chloe's personal life, and she knew that this was the first serious date she would have gone on in a long time, so she was happy that Beca was working so hard to make it amazing. Also, it tickled her seeing the redhead so sound up over something that was normally so simple to her.

"I told you, Chloe, you just need to trust her. Honestly, do you think I'd defend her without good reason?" Aubrey reassured her. Chloe sighed, knowing Aubrey was probably right but not wanting to admit it. She missed Beca already, and it was frustrating to only get scarce texts and little more.

"I guess," she admitted, running a hand through her hair. "It's just been so nerve wracking."

"Hmm, well, I think you'll agree that your suffering was worth it after tonight," Aubrey said knowingly, though this was lost on Chloe, who had begun to undress in preparation for a shower. Aubrey quickly turned back to her desk to avoid seeing any more of the redhead than necessary; not that the image wasn't already burned onto her memory from freshman year, but she felt no inclination to add any more trauma.

As she turned on the water of the shower, feeling the scalding liquid hitting her skin, Chloe thought back to her conversation with Aubrey and smiled. In the past week, the captain of the Bellas had been significantly more cheerful and relaxed, and Chloe thought it might have something to do with Jesse. After Aubrey had finally stopped being, well, an idiot, the two had gotten along rather quickly, Aubrey seemed so much more relaxed as of late.

'Perhaps that's what happens when you're with Jesse enough,' Chloe mused as she washed herself, giggling at the thought. It certainly seemed true in Beca's case. Well, not including the times when she was stressed over impressing Chloe, which was being proven back in the brunette's dorm.

"Dude, why don't understand this is a problem?" Beca asked frantically, her frustration quickly rising to levels she found embarrassing, considering the circumstances.

"I get that it's a problem, Becs, but it's not the end of the world," Jesse said with an exasperated sigh. He almost wondered if he liked Beca more when she didn't give a damn about anyone. It definitely made her less stressed. But he wouldn't deny that he had never seen the girl as happy as she was with Chloe, so he figured it was worth the trouble. "Look, I've already got someone coming to help." Beca's eyes narrowed slowly, viewing the boy with suspicion.

"Who?" She asked. At that very moment, there came a small knock at the door. 'How the hell do people have such impeccable timing around here?' Jesse turned around to open the door to reveal one of the last people Beca had been expecting: Jean. The drummer was beaming as she entered the dorm carrying a small suitcase in her left hand and a few hangars of clothes over her right shoulder. Beca, on the other hand, was simply confused by her presence. "What's this?"

"Jesse told me you were having a meltdown, so he asked me to come help with your problem," she said. Beca glared at Jesse.

"I resent that. I wasn't having a meltdown. I'm just... frustrated," Beca said, choosing her words carefully.

"I hear that tends to happen when you don't have anything to wear on a first date," Jean responded, winking at the guitarist. Beca simply groaned in response. At this point, Jesse left the two girls so that they could spend the next hour finding something among the clothes Jean had brought that would make a suitable outfit for Beca's date with Chloe. As thankful as Beca was for the drummer's help, she was still unsure of the final result, though, she supposed, she likely would not have been happy with anything that wasn't simply a band shirt or tank top and jeans. It was also fortunate that Jean wasn't much taller than Beca, so the clothes she lent to the brunette fit well enough, though they were a bit tight around the chest, as Beca's bust was noticeably larger than the drummer's.

"That actually works to your advantage! You won't have to be nervous because Chloe will just stare at your chest the whole time!" Jean had said when Beca had brought this little detail to her attention. Beca just rolled her eyes at the taller girl.

'Wonderful,' she thought sarcastically as she looked at herself in the mirror. Her plethora of wristbands had been removed, and she wore a simple, navy blue dress that came up over her left shoulder, leaving the tattoos on her right shoulder visible, which Jean figured Chloe would appreciate. The skirt came down to just above her knees, and her feet were contained in a small pair of black heels. Her make up was also considerably lighter than her normal style, with only a bit of eyeliner and a small touch of lipstick. However, her 'ear monstrosities,' as Aubrey called them, remained, and her fingernails still bore her trademark black polish. Beca scarcely recognized the girl staring back at her from the mirror. She wasn't particularly masculine, but she had shied away from dresses for most of her life. Still, she figured, for Chloe, this would be worth it.

"You sure she'll like this? I feel like I look pretty stupid," sh said nervously, unused to the feeling of wearing this particular garment. Jean laughed at her trepidation, understanding where it was coming from, but unable to contain her amusement. The drummer was, like Beca, not terribly accustomed to wearing more than jeans and t-shirts or tank tops. Still, she had gotten over her own weariness of dresses a long time ago. Beca only glared at her as she laughed.

"Trust me, Beca, you look amazing, and Chloe is going to love it," she said sweetly, smiling at the brunette.

"Thanks, dude. I really do appreciate this. Even if it's a little tight," she said as she shifted the top of the dress in slight discomfort, which caused Jean to giggle.

"I'm sorry we can't all be as gifted as you in the chest department," she teased.

"You say gifted, I say cursed," Beca countered with a small frown.

"Hmm, I think a certain redhead might disagree," Jean replied, eying the smaller girl. Beca chose to roll her eyes, but couldn't contain a small laugh.

"For a straight girl, you seem awfully interested in my breasts," Beca joked, throwing a smirk at the older girl. Jean returned the facial gesture, raising her eyebrows as she did.

"Perhaps," she mused, chuckling to herself. "Maybe I'm a little less straight than I thought." She grabbed the small suitcase from Beca's bed before moving to exit the door, taking little notice of Beca's stunned expression. She stopped in the door way and turned her head back to Beca. "Good luck tonight, dude." She gave Beca another wink before leaving the room, and Beca shook her head, trying to escape the stupor Jean's final comments had left her in.

'That wasn't weird at all,' she thought as she grabbed her phone and Jesse's keys, as he had offered to loan Beca his car for the date, before leaving the dorm to go and meet Chloe, for it was nearing the time they had picked to leave on their date. Despite being as nervous as she was, the short girl could barely contain her excitement, and she had to restrain herself from sprinting to her favorite redhead's dorm room. Though, she figured if she did sprint, it wouldn't end well, considering her choice of footwear. After she reached Chloe's room, she rapped quickly on the door, and when it opened, she was met with a sight that left her breathless. Chloe was standing in the doorway wearing a baby blue strapless dress that stopped a few inches above her knees. Her hair was curled and fell lightly over her shoulders, and Beca found her form absolutely radiant. She was floored by the sight of the senior smiling at her.

"Damn..." she whispered. Chloe took in Beca's appearance before she responded. Chloe, for her part, was perhaps even more surprised than Beca. Seeing the girl before her in a dress and heels was, quite possibly, the last sight she expected to see. She was in awe as she looked at Beca, her jaw having dropped quite low at this point. Seeing her face, Beca began to shift nervously, afraid Chloe didn't really approve of her appearance. Noticing this, Chloe quickly shook herself from her stupor and smiled at the little guitarist.

"Hmm... you're not too bad yourself," She said with a smirk. Beca laughed slightly, thankful that Chloe hadn't expressed any distaste for her appearance, and offered the older girl her hand. Chloe smiled at the gesture before taking it, walking close to the brunette's side as they left the dorm. They reached Jesse's car and Beca opened the door for Chloe, which absolutely melted Chloe's heart, before getting into the driver's seat.

"So, where are we headed?" Chloe asked as they pulled out of the parking lot.

"Well, I think I'll let that be a surprise," Beca said, grinning. "I can't make this too easy on you." That sat in silence as Beca drove. It wasn't an awkward silence, by any means. The girls simply sat and enjoyed the other's presence. Eventually, Chloe's hand found its way onto Beca's, and the short girl smiled at her before looking back to the road. Beca drove the SUV to the east side of Barden, and Chloe squealed when they arrived at their destination. It was a rather upscale sushi restaurant and was Chloe's favorite.

"I can't believe you brought me here!" she exclaimed, bouncing with excitement in the passenger's seat. "How did you know this is my favorite restaurant?"

"Please, you really think I wouldn't consult your best friend about how to make this the best possible date?" Beca replied with a confident smirk.

"Wait, you asked Aubrey for help? Oh my God, are you ok? Do you have a fever?" Chloe asked teasingly, holding her hand up to Beca's forehead. The brunette swatted her hand away, laughing.

"It was pretty painful, let me assure you," she joked, before Chloe pulled her into a hug. She was quickly enveloped by the sweet scent of Chloe's perfume, and nuzzled her face into the older girl's neck. After what could have been hours, in Beca's mind, the two separated, smiling at each other. "Come on, dude, let's go eat."

"You don't have to tell me twice," Chloe replied, practically jumping out of the vehicle. She was beaming as they took their seats, and she didn't even pick up her menu, already knowing what she wanted. Beca, however, was another story. Having never had sushi, a majority of the items on the menu seemed fairly inedible to her, and she had a great deal of difficulty finding something that sounded appetizing. Before long, she gave in and asked for Chloe's help, and the redhead proudly gave her a few recommendations after hearing what Beca did and did not like. The girls talked and joked as they enjoyed their dinner, and Beca felt as though she was smiling more during this meal than she had at any single occasion she previously experienced. There was something about Chloe that just made her happy in a way she couldn't describe. When it came time to pay, Beca was adamant that she had the whole meal covered, much to Chloe's protest.

"I'm the one taking you on a date, dude, it's like against the law for you to pay for anything," Beca rationalized. As sweet as Chloe found this, she didn't want Beca spending so much money on her, considering it was a fairly expensive restaurant. "Seriously, Chloe, it's fine. I've got this." After Chloe finally relented, Beca was able to pay and the girls left the restaurant. As they stepped out into the cool Fall breeze, Beca let out a contented sigh. Chloe looked at the short girl, again taking in her appearance. Her eyes lingered on the tattoos on her shoulder, and she began to wonder how many other tattoos the other guitarist had. Her staring didn't go unnoticed by Beca, who promptly brought this to her attention. "See something you like?"

"Hmm..." the redhead began as she snaked her arms around Beca's waste, pulling her closer as she rested her chin on her uncovered shoulder. "Quite a few. Two pretty big things, specifically." Beca laughed and pushed the redhead off of her.

"Dude! We're in public!" she exclaimed.

"Seriously though, did you wear a dress that tight on purpose?" Chloe purred, her eyes now falling onto Beca's chest.

"Dude, no," she responded as her face began to turn red. She was thankful it was dark, as she wasn't fond of people seeing her embarrassed. "This is Jean's dress. She lent it to me for tonight."

"Oh, that makes sense. You are a bit more... gifted, than her," Chloe responded. Beca covered her face as her blushing became even more obvious, causing Chloe to laugh.

"Oh my God, I'm dating a pervert," Beca said, her face still buried in her hands. Chloe grinned at the smaller girl.

"True. But really, Beca," she began as she pulled the short girl closer to her. "You look beautiful." Beca looked up to meet her girlfriend's gaze, nearly tearing up upon hearing the compliment. It still to this day baffled Beca that someone as sweet and amazing as Chloe could ever see anything in someone like herself.

"Dude," she whispered into the warm embrace. "This is going to sound so lame, but you don't know how much it means to me to hear you say that." Chloe pulled back from the hug just enough to look the smaller girl in the face, refusing to let go of her. "I don't exactly hear that very often." Now it was Chloe's turn to tear up.

"Beca, you are the most beautiful person in the world, and don't let anyone ever make you think otherwise," she said, and Beca choked back her tears once again, refusing to let them fall.

"Thank you," she said. "But seriously, let's get to the car. Crying is so totally lame and not metal, and I'll not be seen doing it in public." Chloe chuckled at her words as the brunette wiped her eyes, and released her from the hug, though she kept Beca's hand tight in her own.

"This was an amazing date, Beca," Chloe said as they took their seats in Jesse's car. "I really enjoyed it." Beca raised her eyebrows skeptically at the older girl.

"Dude, it's not over yet. I could still ruin it," she joked, and Chloe laughed at her before placing a small kiss on her cheek.

"So what's next, then, rock star?" she asked. Beca smirked and said nothing. "Oh, we're doing this again?" Beca just looked at her and nodded, a small grin adorning her face. Chloe rolled her eyes and relaxed back into her seat, realizing the futility of pressing the matter. They drove for around twenty minutes before Beca finally pulled the car to a stop in a small clearing in the middle of some woods. Chloe was confused, and unfamiliar with their location, but Beca quickly exited the vehicle and took the redhead by the hand, leading her through the trees.

"Where are we, Beca?" Chloe asked.

"Just wait and see," Beca replied knowingly before the exited the trees. The sight before the two girls stunned Chloe, as she found herself looking out over the city of Barden. The lights from the city were dazzling, and the view stretched for several miles.

"Wow," Chloe said breathlessly. She realized Beca was no longer holding her hand, and she turned around to see the brunette holding a guitar that the redhead had never seen before. It was an acoustic guitar. Chloe was confused, as she didn't even know that Beca owned one.

"So, I hope you don't think this is too lame, but I have a song I'd like to play for you," Beca said timidly. Chloe smiled, wondering what song she was going to play. She wasn't sure what she expected, but it certainly was not the song that quickly came emanating from Beca's guitar. Chloe's jaw dropped as Beca began playing Titanium. Her fingers danced across the guitar as she played the familiar melody of Chloe's lady jam, before she began to thump on the body of it to create the drum rhythm. The patterns became increasingly complex, as she added layers to the song, playing increasingly intricate drum rhythms and chord progressions, in addition to playing the vocal melody. Her eyes focused on the guitar as she played, and Chloe quickly became entranced both by the beauty of the girl standing before her and the sound of her favorite song. When she finished, Beca looked at Chloe for any sign of approval, and found the girl speechless. Eventually, seeing Beca's questioning expression, Chloe found her voice again.

"Oh my God, Beca..." Chloe began. Beca braced herself, thinking that her performance had been somewhat lackluster, considering she had only recently learned the song. "That was amazing!" She quickly made her way over to the short guitarist and pulled her into a searing kiss. "This really is the best date ever." Beca grinned. "So is this why you wouldn't let me see you all week?"

"Yea, well, Luke showed me this version of the song on YouTube, it was done by a guy named Mike Dawes, who, by the way, is an amazing guitarist. Anyway, I thought you might like it, so I spent the whole week learning it. Not going to lie, it was probably one of the hardest songs I've ever tried to learn," Beca answered. "My fingers are pretty raw, and that hasn't happened for a while." She held up her left hand for Chloe to inspect. The redhead took the hand and pulled it to her face, kissing the fingertips lightly before holding it close to her heart.

"What did I do to deserve someone as amazing as you?" She asked.

"Please," Beca scoffed. "If anything, I don't deserve you. I don't know what you see in me, Chloe." The brunette turned away from Chloe to look out over the city again.

"What I see," Chloe said solemnly, pulling the girl into her arms. "Is the sweetest, most amazing, most beautiful, and most talented girl I have ever had the privilege of knowing. And I am so happy that I can call you mine." Tears were slowly streaming down Beca's face upon hearing this. Chloe smiled and held her tighter, and the pair looked out over the night lights of Barden. Chloe rested her head on Beca's shoulder again, and let out a happy sigh. Beca smiled, a few tears of joy still falling, as she fell back into Chloe's embrace.

"So," Chloe said after a few minutes of silence. "When do I get to see the rest of your tattoos?" She softly kissed the flowers that lay upon Beca's right shoulder blade, and the brunette let a small smirk creep onto her face.

'Best date ever,' she thought as she turned her head to meet Chloe's lips with her own.


	8. Chapter 8

**Metalli-Beca**

_Chapter 8:_

A dissonant, wailing screech engulfed the small practice room as two picks were dragged along their wielder's respective guitars, sliding into a haunting power chord progression backed by a simple, deep, almost tribal drum beat. However, just as quickly as the change in the pace of the song had arrived, it came to a complete stop.

"Hey guys, wait," Beca said, holding up her hands to get the rest of the band's attention. They all looked at her, slightly confused as to why she, and as a result, they, had stopped playing. It wasn't as if any mistakes had been made and they needed to try again.

"What's up, Beca?" Luke asked from his seat at the small couch in the practice room. He had vacated his position behind his instrument as this particular song had no part for him to play.

"I was wondering if maybe we could do like Metallica does when they play this live and extend that part we were on and get the crowd to sing with us," she said, looking at the blonde boy. Luke simply shrugged.

"Don't look at me, I'm not doing anything on this one," he said with a slight chuckle.

"I think that'd be cool," Jean spoke up from behind the massive drum set, raising her hand as though she were a child in school asking for permission to speak.

"Yea, I agree! Let's do it," Aaron added. Beca smiled and nodded at him. She thought it was pretty funny that the member of their band with the most intimidating appearance also had a personality bordering on Chloe's level of brightness, though he'd never truly match the redhead.

"So... Should we practice doing it that way now?" Jesse asked.

"No, dude, we should definitely not practice the song the way we intend to play it," Beca replied sardonically. Jesse rolled his eyes at his best friend, but accepted silently that he kind of walked right into that one. "Besides, we actually have an audience today." Beca smirked as she looked over to the couch, where Chloe had been watching the practice intently for the past hour, having decided to come knowing she wouldn't get to spend as much time as she would like with her girlfriend in the coming week, due to the need for the Bellas to practice for the SBT gig. She giggled as Beca brought attention to her presence in the practice room.

"Wait, you want me to sing along?" She asked jokingly. "I don't even know the words."

"Oh, don't worry," Beca said mischievously. "They're pretty simple. And you don't even really need to sing." The brunette turned back to face the band as she continued to speak. "So basically, we'll just play through the chord progression twice, then Aaron and I will hold the first chord the third time and fade out while Jean and Sam keep playing. Then I guess I'll talk to the audience, and then we'll just continue like that until Jean decides she's had enough, and she'll change the beat slightly to let us know to come back in. Sound good?" The rest of the band nodded in acceptance. "All right, we'll start from the beginning of the tempo change." As soon as the words left Beca's mouth, Jean quickly hit her open hi-hats four times, beginning the song again. This time, when they reached the point where Beca had originally stopped them, the two guitarists faded out exactly as the brunette had planned, and she spoke again, this time through her microphone.

"All right, guys, so to make this not awkward, everyone is going to sing along. Because, quite honestly, just Chloe and I yelling this would be weird," she joked as the twins continued to play, eliciting a few laughs from the boys, who knew the song, a look of confusion from her redhead. "You ready?" The rest of the band nodded as they prepared to yell along with Beca. "All right here we go."

"Die! Die! Die!" They all began to chant. Well, all except Chloe, who was slightly taken aback. She hadn't really made any expectations, but this still caught her off guard. Beca's yells faltered when she noticed her girlfriend's stupefied expression, and she began to laugh hysterically at her stunned reaction.

"Come on, Chlo!" She said into the microphone with a wide smile. "I told you it's not that hard." Chloe's eyes narrowed as Beca spoke. It was then that the redhead noticed that everyone in the room was now staring at her expectantly, silently willing her to join in their fun as they continued to yell. It wasn't until Beca's lower lip began to form a small pout that the redhead finally relented, calling them a bunch of weirdoes and laughing before beginning to yell along with them, albeit a bit more quietly than the rest of the band. Beca smiled triumphantly and raised her fist as they continued for a minute or two before Jean began a drum fill to signal the end of the bridge extension. Beca moved back to her microphone, continuing to yell the same word into it along with Aaron as Jesse began the lyrics to the bridge.

"Die / by my hand / I creep across the land / killing first born man"

At the end of the line, Beca let out a long, harsh, guttural growl to lead into the first repeat of the bridge, which Jesse sang with even more aggression. When the song concluded, Chloe began to clap and Beca gave a small bow.

"I still can't believe you made me sing that with you," Chloe said to the shorter girl.

"Please, you loved it. Plus, you know it was freaking badass," Beca responded with a smirk. Chloe rolled her eyes before standing up to give Beca a small peck on the lips.

"Perhaps," she said. "Though I hope you didn't have any ulterior motives for singing that particular song."

"Whatever could you mean?" Beca said, giving Chloe an intentionally creepy stare as she spoke.

"Oh my God, you're such a weirdo!" She said, slapping Beca on the shoulder. "Anyway, as much as I'd rather stay here, I have to get to Bellas rehearsals. We have a gig next weekend that we are so not ready for."

"That's unfortunate," Beca replied. "Hey, can we come watch the show next weekend though?" Beca may not have been much of an a capella fan, but she really wanted to hear Chloe sing more often. Plus, it could be interesting at the least, she figured. Chloe giggled slightly at Beca's enthusiasm, considering her particular musical tastes.

"You guys are more than welcome to come, but it'll be at a frat party, so you've been warned," Chloe stated, knowing how Beca felt about parties, causing her to frown slightly. After a few seconds of contemplation, the brunette decided it was worth the pain and suffering to see her girlfriend perform, especially considering how Chloe had come to their first show.

"I do owe you for coming to see our show, so I guess I can suck it up for you," Beca replied with a grin. "Can't speak for anyone else though." She looked around at the rest of the band. Luke looked like he was about to voice an excuse to not go before Jean quickly spoke up.

"We'll be there!" She said brightly. "All of us." Her voice quickly became more threatening as she looked at the rest of the boys in the room. When they remained silent, she smiled with a satisfied look on her face, and Chloe and Beca began to laugh. "Though I imagine Jesse wouldn't take much convincing either." Jesse simply made a face of resigned agreement, chuckling to himself and shaking his head.

"I guess we know who wears the pants in this band," Chloe joked. "Anyway, I've gotta run. I'll see you later." The redhead have Beca another quick kiss on the lips before leaving the house. She couldn't be sure, but Chloe was pretty sure she heard Aaron and Jean let out a few "Awws" as she exited the room. Beca, for her part, didn't even notice, and she let out a contented sigh as Chloe left, her face in a dreamy, dazed expression.

"Hey, Becs" Jesse spoke, earning no response from the little guitarist. "Beca?" Still nothing. Shaking his head, he walked up next to his best friend and yelled her name right into her ear, causing her to jump in terror.

"Dude!" She yelled, clutching her chest. "What the hell?"

"You were ignoring me," he stated. "I was going to ask if you wanted to run through Creeping Death one more time?" Beca looked at her best friend for a moment, thinking. She fiddled idly with her ear spike as she began to answer.

"Nah I think it sounded good. Plus, Luke is probably bored as hell, considering this isn't the first Metallica song we've played today." she said, looking over to the keyboardist.

"Eh, it's no big deal," he said. "As long as we can play some Children of Bodom next." Beca grinned.

"Actually, I was going to see if you'd be up for Kissing the Shadows," she said. Luke's eyes went wide at the suggestion.

"That would be awesome. Can you handle it though?" He asked skeptically, knowing it was a fairly difficult song.

"I think I've got it," Beca stated with a grin, setting down her Gibson Explorer in it's case before retrieving her solid black ESP SV-Standard.

The next week passed as agonizingly slow for Beca as the previous one had for Chloe. As much as she hated parties in general, and despite her overall disdain for those she affectionately referred to as 'frat douches,' Beca was excited to watch her girl perform at their party. That was, at least, until Chloe showed up at her dorm on Friday night. Beca was sitting on her bed, 3DS in hand, happily playing Pokemon, when she heard someone attempt to open the door before knocking sharply against the wood. She quickly opened the door to be met with a very downcast looking Chloe, which surprised Beca quite a bit. It wasn't often that Chloe wasn't a walking bundle of joy and energy. Tonight, it seemed all of her usual energy and enthusiasm were absent, and she cast a weak smile when she saw Beca, who quickly allowed her into the dorm room.

"Hey, babe. Everything all right?" She asked, noticing the change in Chloe's demeanor.

"Yea," she answered with a sigh, sitting down on Beca's bed. "I'm just really worried about our performance tomorrow. We aren't ready, but we can't afford to cancel the gig because we need the money. I just know it's going to be a train wreck though." Chloe sighed again and pulled her knees to her chest and rested her head against her knees. Beca sat down next to her and placed an arm around her, pulling her close.

"I'm sure it won't be that bad," she tried to reassure the redhead. "You guys are all great singers."

"Thanks, sweetie," Chloe said, turning her head to look at her girlfriend. "But you know that being good doesn't always cut it. And then there's..." Chloe's sentence was cut off as she began to experience a fairly severe coughing fit. After a few seconds, when she was done, she clenched her throat, trying to soothe the pain she felt. "That." Her voice was nearly hoarse, and Beca realized that the whole time she had been speaking barely above a whisper.

"Hey, are you ok?" She asked nervously.

"Yea," Chloe answered quietly. "It's just... I have nodes." Beca looked at her in confusion.

"What are nodes?" She asked.

"Vocal nodules," Chloe clarified, still speaking softly. "The rubbing together of your vocal chords at above average rates without proper lubrication." A single tear made its way down Chloe's cheek. "They sit on your windpipe and they crush your dreams." Beca's heart broke for Chloe as she listened. She pressed a hand to the older girl's cheek and wiped away the tear with her thumb before giving her a soft kiss on her forehead.

"I'm so sorry, Chloe," she tried to console her girlfriend, who nuzzled into her neck.

"It's ok," the redheaded senior answered softly, her breath tickling Beca's skin. "It's not going to stop me from singing yet. It just hurts. And I can't go as high." She let out a cynical laugh as she spoke. "You know it's kind of funny? You're the one doing all of the screaming that makes it sound like your throat is bleeding, and I'm the one with the messed up vocal chords." Beca frowned, unsure of how to feel about this comment.

"Well, I spent a lot of time learning how to do that without hurting myself," she said, her voice flat.

"I'm sorry," Chloe said, feeling Beca's grip around her loosen. "That was kind of a bitchy thing to say." Beca chuckled quietly and wrapped her other arm around the girl, pulling her close.

"Well, maybe a little," she teased. "But I'll let it slide this time." Chloe looked up at Beca and smiled.

"Thanks, sweetie," she said before kissing Beca softly. The brunette smiled down at her girlfriend, marveling at how she ended up with someone like her. "You make everything better." Chloe, noticing that a certain Asian was absent from the dorm, spoke up again. "Where's Kimmy Jin?"

"Oh. Yea, I think she went home to visit her family or something this weekend," Beca said nonchalantly. The fact that the roommates were so intentionally ignorant of each other meant that Beca hadn't really noticed much of a difference when she wasn't present. Chloe grinned mischievously when she heard this information.

"Oh really?" She asked. Beca looked at her blankly. "So... We've got the room to ourselves tonight?"

"Umm... Yea I guess so," Beca said, completely oblivious.

"Just us two..." Chloe continued, looking expectantly at Beca. "All alone..." Beca looked back at Chloe, confused. However, when she saw the look on Chloe's face, she finally realized what she was getting at.

"Oh..." Beca said as Chloe pushed her back onto the bed.

"Oh?" Chloe questioned as she looked down at the little guitarist. "Jeez, Beca, you really can be pretty oblivious."

"Hey!" Beca protested as Chloe began to kiss her neck, though that's not exactly what she was protesting. "I resent that. I told you, I'm not very good at the whole girlfriend thing."

"No," Chloe said, pushing herself up and slightly off of the smaller girl. "You're a wonderful girlfriend. You just aren't as... Romantically experienced." She smiled sweetly down at Beca, who smirked at her words.

"Oh really, now?" She teased, raising her eyebrows. "And you are, I presume?"

"Oh, totes," Chloe responded.

"Then perhaps you could teach me a thing or two," Beca stated huskily.

"Gladly," Chloe replied.

"Wait!" Beca said as Chloe began to press herself back down against the shorter girl. She quickly moved out from under her and ran over to the door and locked it, causing Chloe to giggle.

"I guess someone learned their lesson," she teased.

"Yea, that shit isn't happening again," Beca said seriously before returning to her now laughing girlfriend. She climbed on to Chloe's lap before silencing her laughs by pressing their lips together.

They spent the next hour in a heated make out session on Beca's bed, and, surprisingly enough, it went completely uninterrupted. They both felt like they were in a dream, lost in the others embrace. Eventually though, after what felt like mere minutes to Beca, she received a text from Aubrey asking where Chloe was.

"It is getting late. I should probably get back," Chloe said when Beca read the text, noticing what time it was. Beca immediately made pout at her girlfriend, complete with puppy dog eyes, not wanting her to leave yet. "You do know there's nothing metal about that face, right?"

"Well, we already established I'm about as metal as rainbows and unicorns when you're around, so..." Beca said, earning a bright laugh from the redhead. It was a sweet, wonderful sound that Beca swore she'd never tire of hearing. "But that fact never leaves this room."

"Oh, of course," Chloe replied with a smile. "I already told you that your secret is safe with me."

"Better be," the brunette said before pulling Chloe into another kiss. "And don't worry about tomorrow, babe. I know you guys will do fine."

"I'm glad you have such confidence in us," Chloe said. "I'll try my best." She have a weak smile as she stood up. She leaned over to give Beca a hug, and kissed her goodnight before leaving the dorm room. Beca fell back onto her bed with a contented sigh, smiling as she thought about the activities of the previous hours. She didn't even bother changing into more suitable clothes before falling asleep.

That night, Beca slept rather soundly. Chloe, on the other hand, had no such luck, as restlessness and worry about the next day set in the moment her head hit the pillow. Eventually, she found herself wishing she had stayed with her girlfriend. Deciding that being with her might help ease her worries and get some sleep, she decided she would go back over to Beca's room. Getting up from her bed, quietly, so as not to wake Aubrey, she pulled a robe and grabbed her phone before walking down the hall. It was silent save for her footsteps, and Chloe noted that dorm hallways were rather creepy at 1:00 a.m. She picked up her pace slightly, and knocked softly on Beca's door when she arrived. Hearing no movement, she was about to knock harder when a thought occurred to her. She reached down and twisted the doorknob, and, perhaps less surprisingly than it should have been, the door opened. Chloe quickly closed and locked the door behind her before moving over to her girlfriend's sleeping form. She nudged the small girl lightly to wake up.

"Hmm... Wha?" Beca mumbled sleepily, her eyes fluttering open. Noticing Chloe was standing over her, the brunette was too sleepy to realize that it probably should have freaked her out that someone entered her room while she slept. "Chlo? What are you doing here?"

"I couldn't sleep. I was wondering if, maybe, I mean, if I could..." She began, but as Beca began to gain a better hold on her consciousness, she realized what Chloe wanted, and smiled as she moved over in the small bed to make room, opening the blanket for her. Chloe wasn't sure why she had been so shy to ask. It wasn't really like her. The redhead never had a problem with confidence or saying what she meant. She figured maybe it was just because she was tired, and perhaps a bit because she had just woken a girl who places few things above sleep in value. She discarded her robe and crawled into the bed. Beca, laying on her side, looked at Chloe as she settled into the bed. The two girls faced each other, somewhat awkwardly, if Beca was completely honest. However, Chloe being Chloe, was able to swiftly remedy that situation.

"Do you always stare at the person you're sleeping with?" She said with a giggle. Beca rolled her eyes.

"I'm pretty sure I've never slept in the same bed as someone else, especially one this small," she countered. "Besides, is it really so bad that I want to look at you?"

"I guess not," Chloe said smiling. "Still, my awesomeness might be distracting and keep you up, so why don't you turn over?" Beca's face had a quizzical look about it but she complied and rolled over, only to be instantly wrapped in Chloe's arms and pulled close to the older girl's chest. Beca chuckled as she snuggled back into the warm embrace.

"How exactly did I end up as the little spoon?" She joked.

"Well, you're the smaller one, so it just makes sense," Chloe stated as though it was the most obvious thing in the world. Beca simply shook her head and let out a sigh as she closed her eyes. After a few seconds of comfortable silence, Chloe spoke up again. "You really should lock your door more often."

"Hey, I did it when it counted," Beca replied, causing Chloe to laugh quietly.

"Yea, that was a pretty important situation," she said. "Goodnight, Beca." She kissed the brunette's head before adjusting her position slightly to get more comfortable.

"Night, Chlo," Beca said with a yawn. Needless to say, Chloe had little trouble sleeping for the rest of the night.


	9. Chapter 9

**Metalli-Beca**

_A/N: I do apologize for taking so long on this chapter. My goal was to update at least once every week and a half, but I was met with a major bout of writer's block. That being said, I don't think that this particular chapter is my best work by any means, but I hope you enjoy it nonetheless. If not, please let me know how I can improve. Any feedback at all would be great. As always, thank you so much to anyone who read, reviewed, followed, favorited, etc... _

_Chapter 9:_

Beca woke to an empty bed the next morning, much to her disappointment. She frowned as she sat up and looked around the room. Noticing a sticky note left on the door, she squinted, trying to read it without getting up. When her vision failed at that task, she begrudgingly crawled across her bed to try and get close enough without having to actually vacate the bed, but to no avail. She sighed as she forced herself to her feet and walked over to the door. Taking the note, she smiled as she read the words that lay on the small paper.

'Hey, sweetie, I'm so sorry for leaving but we're having a last minute rehearsal this morning. I didn't want to wake you because I know you like your sleep, and I already interrupted you last night. Text me when you're up!'

'_Damn it_,' she thought. '_Why does she have to be so perfect_?' She chuckled as she fell back on to her bed, still not quite ready to get up. Reaching over to her desk, the short girl retrieved her phone before sending a text to her redheaded girlfriend and then promptly falling back to sleep.

Beca spent most of the day lounging in her dorm room, receiving intermittent texts from Chloe about how rehearsal was going. The brunette also learned exactly where the party was being held, as well as when she would need to show up, as she hadn't had the foresight to realize she ought to have that information if she intended to watch the Bellas' performance. Chloe, mercifully, was responsible enough to have written down the information for Beca before she left that morning.

Noticing that the time for the party was approaching more rapidly than Beca really cared to admit, she decided it would be prudent to go ahead and shower and get dressed for said party. After a quick and, thankfully, uninterrupted shower, the short brunette donned her cleanest pair of black skinny jeans and a tight-fitting, low cut black tank-top that bore the logo of the band Slayer. She contemplated putting on the gray vest she had worn the day she arrived on campus but changed her mind, considering it was still fairly warm in Barden. Also, the tank top had the advantage of subtly revealing the tattoos that snaked out across her shoulder blades and partially down her biceps. Her right side was relatively clear, bearing only a small set of flowers on the shoulder blade and a small, inconspicuous snake curling around her bicep. Her left shoulder, however, was a small canvas of musical notes, vines, and a dragon silhouette. Also visible was a circle inscribed inside a triangle and bisected by a single line in the middle. It was the Deathly Hallows symbol from _Harry Potter_, and most people didn't quite see this particular design. It was small and located towards the back of the left side of her neck, usually covered by her hair. However, today she had pulled her hair into a neat bun, leaving the small symbol exposed. After finishing the seventh book, she had gotten the tattoo on a dare to prove that her level of Harry Potter dedication exceeded Jesse's. Never again had her love of the series been questioned. Also, she thought it looked badass, though this was simply silver lining to the guitarist. She applied her standard makeup of heavy eyeliner and her black nail polish, along with sliding on several studded leather bracelets and her spikiest piercings, before deciding she looked intimidating enough to keep the 'frat douches' and 'sorority bimbos' she expected to encounter from attempting to socialize with her.

It was then that Beca's phone began to ring, the piercing melodies of "_Thunderhorse_" by Dethklok emanating loudly from the tiny speakers. She gave the device a look of confusion, as she didn't often receive phone calls, with most people preferring to text these days. She picked it up to be met with Jesse's face taking up a majority of the screen contorted into what was an intentionally over the top and rather goofy looking attempt to seem threatening. She rolled her eyes at the silliness of the picture, as she did every time she saw it, before sliding her thumb across the screen to answer his call.

"What's up?" She asked as she connected the phone with her ear.

"Hey, you ready yet? The girls' set starts in about an hour," Jesse said over the phone somewhat urgently.

"Yea, yea, I'm just now leaving," she replied, walking out of her dorm.

"Ok, cool. Jean, Aaron, and I are waiting in front of the student union," he said.

"See you in a bit," Beca stated before hanging up the phone. She continued on her path down the hall and was about to enter the stairwell when she realized she had failed to lock her door, perhaps due to the unexpected phone call. She shook her head at what she saw as her own stupidity as she walked back down the hall, considering there was at least a few thousand dollars worth of musical equipment stored in her room. Confident that her belongings were secure, she walked back out of the dorm at a slightly increased pace due to the small delay. Once the brunette exited the building, she inserted her ear buds and turned on one of the random playlists on her iPod. The sound of Warbringer's "_Combat Shock_" began to blast into her ears. Beca contemplated changing the song for a moment before deciding she was satisfied with her device's selection. She made her way towards the student union building, which housed several fast food restaurants, conference rooms, and a few offices and ball rooms, where three of her band mates were waiting. "Where's Luke and Sam?"

"Well, apparently the only other intern at the station called in sick today, so Luke had to go in to work," Jesse informed her. Beca rolled her eyes, wondering if perhaps the blonde boy had simply made that up to get out of going to the party. Jesse grinned at shook his head at her reaction, having thought the same thing himself.

"And Sam is reading," Jean said rather seriously. Beca and Jesse looked at the slim girl in confusion.

"And that's an excuse how?" Beca inquired somewhat skeptically.

"You don't stop Sam from reading," Aaron piped up. "It's just something you don't do, like wearing socks with sandals or watching the Star Wars prequels before the originals." Beca opened her mouth to speak but then thought back to the time she had interrupted the bassist while reading, and, remembering the strangeness of that situation, decided to let it go. "Anyway, like Jesse said, we don't have long before the Bellas start their set, so let's get going."

"Why exactly are you so excited to be going to this?" Beca asked as she noticed the enthusiasm in Aaron's voice. The tall boy grinned.

"Because!" He began animatedly. "We get to see an a musical composition performed with no instruments. That's pretty badass, if you ask me."

"You and I have very different definitions of badass, dude," Beca muttered. As much as she wanted to hear Chloe sing, the brunette still wasn't convinced there was anything cool or badass about A Capella. Aaron just rolled his eyes at the girl's cynicism.

"And, I mean, we're going to a party. Who doesn't like parties?" He asked, ignoring Beca's comment. She gave Jesse a knowing look upon hearing this, and he only shrugged as the group continued to walk towards the fraternity house where the party was being held. It wasn't long before they arrived at their destination and promptly moved through the party to meet the girls.

Gaining access to the fraternity house had been a bit of an ordeal in and of itself for the band. Jesse had to stop Beca from kicking the door in after the guy who had answered it refused to let them in upon seeing their appearance. Fortunately, Jean had a slightly better plan, and, with a bit of flirting and puppy dog eyes, was able to convince said frat guy to allow them to enter the party. Beca, seeking even an inkling of revenge, directed her most wrathful and intimidating glare at the 'frat douche' as she crossed the threshold into the house. The boy refused to make eye contact with the guitarist, and she smiled triumphantly as she attempted to find her way to where the Bellas were waiting to perform, and, more importantly, where her favorite redhead would be. This proved to be fairly difficult, as her band mates had seemingly left her behind as they moved throughout the party, and Beca found herself beset by what she considered to be a very annoying boy with medium length, flowing blonde hair wearing the standard frat guy uniform of a polo shirt, khaki shorts, and brown loafers. Like a majority of frat guys, he would likely have been considered rather attractive by most girls, but, as one would expect, Beca was disinclined to agree with that sentiment.

"Hey," he spoke with a sly grin. "Can I get you a drink?" Now Beca was not the most socially adept of individuals, but even she knew, for the most part, when she was being hit on.

"I'm good, thanks," she replied, attempting to fake a sympathetic smile. She really didn't actually feel bad for turning him down, but she was attempting to be polite for the sake of ending the conversation faster. Also, she didn't usually want to be a jerk for no reason, and, to be honest, the boy hadn't done anything wrong. However, this facade of amiability only served to encourage the boy's efforts. He raised his eyebrows ever so slightly, the grin remaining plastered on his face.

"Come on," he said encouragingly. "I think you need a drink."

'_Dammit_,' Beca thought. "Hmm... you know, you might be right after all." She intended to simply slip away and go find Chloe while the frat guy retrieved the drink, but her plan was soundly thwarted when he grabbed her hand and began to pull her along with him as he stalked towards the keg in the middle of the room.

"Ok, cool," he said rather happily.

'_Dear lord, why me_?' She grimaced internally. "Actually, I just remembered, my allergy medication can't be taken with alcohol. Sorry." Beca winced slightly at the weakness of her excuse. 'A_llergy medicine? Really, dude_?' The boy stopped and gave her a look of bewilderment, his grip on her hand loosening just enough for the brunette to free her hand and dash away from him. '_Well that was a lovely start to the evening..._' The guitarist made her way to the back porch of the party, assuming that, since it was the only place she had yet to search, the Bellas would likely be found there. She was not disappointed. Though she was, admittedly, a tad bit confused. While she did find what she had been looking for, she had not quite expected it to be like this.

It was innocent enough. Chloe stood near the pool, in what appeared to be a flight attendant's uniform, conversing with a tall, brunette boy. It didn't bother Beca that she was talking to someone else, as she was neither paranoid nor controlling. It didn't even bother her that much that he seemed to be attempting to flirt with her. Who wouldn't flirt with a gorgeous girl like Chloe, she figured. No, what bothered her, was the fact that Chloe seemed to be enjoying the attention she was getting; laughing at all his jokes, hanging on his every word, not even shying away when he reached out to touch her arm or shoulder. She stood on the elevated porch completely frozen, all together unable to decide what to do. It was then that, much to her dismay, the boy that had offered her a drink appeared at her side. He looked once at Beca and then at the event upon which her gaze was fixed before holding out a small, red cup filled with an amber liquid.

"You sure you don't want a drink?" He asked, his voice genuinely sympathetic, though his understanding of the situation was somewhat inaccurate. Beca turned to look at the boy and chuckled at the sincerity of his intentions.

"You know, I think I forgot to take my medicine today," she said, jokingly referencing her previous excuse as she proceeded to drain the entire plastic cup.

"That bad, huh?" The boy asked as Beca let the red cup fall to the concrete floor.

"You have no idea," she replied, her mind beginning to feel a bit hazy. Beca was no longer accustomed to the effects of alcohol, and she had just consumed a fairly decent amount in a short period of time. It didn't help that her small size meant that she was a bit of a lightweight. "Who the hell does he think he is?"

"Who, Tom? He's always been that way. Flirts with anything that moves. And he and that girl used to date. Or were friends with benefits. Or something to that effect. I think her name was Chloe. Or maybe Kelley. I don't quite remember." the blonde boy explained. "I wouldn't get too hung up on him. He's kind of a dick. You're better off just going ahead and forgetting about him." Beca looked at the boy in confusion. He thought she was upset because this Tom was flirting with Chloe instead of her? Beca, in her slightly inebriated state, didn't realize that it was the only thing that made sense to anyone not privy to her preference for women, but this confusion only lasted as long as it took for Beca to realize that she had just been told Chloe was being hit on, rather effectively, it would seem, by her ex. Who was a male.

'_What the actual fuck_?' She thought as she processed the information. The short girl was so stupefied that she scarcely noticed that Chloe was now calling her name and waving her over. '_Oh, isn't this just wonderful_?' She looked to the blonde boy, her face full of doubt. However, as he didn't truly understand the situation, he was unable to offer any more than a weak shrug. Beca scoffed quietly before walking over to the redhead and Tom. He still had that stupid smile on his face that only served to enrage Beca. Still, she didn't intend to lose her temper in front of Chloe, let alone the rest of the party. As she reached the pair, Chloe gave her a warm smile that she was only able to return weakly, and she remained quite stiff when the ginger gave her a hug.

"Hey, Beca, you all right?" Chloe inquired curiously, noticing the difference in Beca's typical demeanor.

"Spectacular," she replied bitterly. Chloe gave her an odd look, but she figured she was simply being grumpy due to being in what was, for her, an atypical social setting. "Who's your friend?"

"Oh, right! Beca, this is Tom. He's an old friend of mine. Tom, this is Beca, my girlfriend," Chloe answered sweetly, which caught Beca off guard. It was not enough, however, to keep her from noticing the leering look she received from the brunette boy as soon as the word 'girlfriend' had left Chloe's mouth. Beca's eye's narrowed and her lip twitched nearly imperceptibly as he looked her up and down.

'_Chill out, Mitchell. He's just your standard douchebag. Nothing you haven't dealt with before_,' she thought to herself, trying to remain calm.

"Nice to meet you," Tom said with a smirk. She didn't see any use in revealing how his presence bothered her, figuring it would likely only spur on his efforts with Chloe.

"Same to you," Beca replied, mirroring his smirk confidently as she shook his hand.

"So, can I get you ladies anything to drink?" Tom asked. Chloe opened her mouth to say that she didn't really intend to have any alcohol before the Bellas' imminent performance but was quickly shut down by Beca's immediate answer.

"Sounds great," the brunette answered. Chloe's eyebrows raised as she looked at Beca slightly confused, knowing both that the girl had not really been a fan of alcohol for a while now and that she should know one shouldn't drink before a performance. Tom smirked again before stalking off in search of beverages for the two girls. Chloe turned to face Beca as he left, wondering what was going on in her head.

"Are you sure everything's all right, Beca? I mean, you seem kind of, well, agitated," Chloe said.

"Do I?" Beca asked sardonically. "I can't imagine why..."

"And since when do you drink? I thought you quit after... well, you know," Chloe spoke softly.

"Since my girlfriend introduced me to her former fuck buddy as an 'old friend,' I suppose," Beca replied with as much malice as she was willing to submit the redhead to. It wasn't much, admittedly. Despite how upset Beca was, she figured there was more to the situation than she knew. However, that didn't stop her from being angry with the older girl. Chloe's eyes widened in shock. While she found Beca's terminology rather crass and somewhat inaccurate, it was not entirely untrue, and she had no idea how the brunette could have known anything about her previous relationship with Tom.

"Beca, I..." Chloe began to say, but she was, once again, cut off by the little guitarist.

"I think your performance is about to start," she pointed out, nodding her head towards where Aubrey appeared to be corralling the rest of the Bellas. Chloe looked at Beca regretfully. It took all of her willpower to force back the tears that threatened to fall as she turned away from the shorter girl and walked towards the now assembled Bellas. '_Well that could have gone better._'

Beca sighed as the music that had been playing from the large PA system set up in the back of the frat house died down and the Bellas were introduced to the party. They wasted no time beginning their set, which consisted of music that was woefully out of place at this particular event, even to Beca. Deciding that worrying about Chloe and Tom would do her no good while the redhead was unavailable, she turned her attention to focusing on the performance. As sure as Chloe had been that it would be a train wreck, it wasn't actually that bad. There were just a lot of little things that were off, and Beca was confident that, for the most part, only the musicians in the crowd would really notice the flaws. That being said, she began to notice that A Capella seemed a lot less forgiving than instruments, and the girls' errors became more and more evident as the songs progressed.

"Damn, this sucks," came an unfortunately familiar voice from beside Beca. She turned her head to see Tom, the source of her current agitation.

"What?" She asked, hoping she had not heard him right.

"This," he said, gesturing to the group of girls whose singing was now dreadfully off key. "It sucks."

"Whatever, dude," Beca replied before moving closer to the Bellas, not wanting to listen to Tom any longer.

"So you and Chloe are a thing, huh?" He asked, ignoring Beca's attempt to deflect the conversation. She stopped and turned around to face the boy as she answered.

"Yea. What of it?" Beca said, her anger rising again. Tom chuckled.

"Oh, nothing," he said with a smirk. "I was just wondering if you two might want to hang out sometime." He leered at Beca as he spoke, his eyes full of what Beca could only describe as hunger. She grimaced in disgust.

"Dude, no," she said coldly. Her eyes locked with Tom's threateningly, daring him to speak again. The boy was only happy to oblige.

"You may as well. I mean, Chloe will get tired of you and come running back to me soon enough. There's no way a girl could please her like I do," he said confidently. Now Beca had decided she'd dealt with this upstart long enough. He barely finished his statement before she had crossed the few feet that separated them and punched him with all of her might square in the jaw. However, Tom had not only expected this reaction; he wanted it. And he responded in kind. Beca was unable to react as his fist made contact with her stomach, knocking the wind out of her and sending her down to the concrete. The Bellas' performance quickly ceased as Chloe screamed, seeing the events unfold. By this time, most of the party had stopped paying attention to the Bellas and were engaged in their own alcohol fueled revelry, and thus, few noticed the end of the performance or the violence that had taken place. Tom proceeded to kick Beca rather brutally as she lay on the ground, and the girl cried out as his foot connected with her ribs. She cursed herself for being unable to retaliate against him.

"Tom, stop!" Chloe shrieked as she moved towards the small girl crumpled on the ground. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

"Hey, she punched me first," he replied nonchalantly.

"I tend to do that to chauvinistic assholes," Beca growled. Tom glared at her and moved to kick her again before someone grabbed him from behind. A muscular arm wrapped around his neck while another reached under his left arm to link with the other, trapping the brunette boy in an iron grip.

"It's not nice to kick someone while they're down, dude," Jesse said as he restrained Tom. He looked around as Jean and Aaron moved between him and Beca.

"Yea, it's definitely much better to hold a guy down while two others beat him up," Tom said, doing his best to not look like the aggressor in this situation.

"True, that's why they're only there to make sure that when I let you go, you simply walk away. Got it?" Jesse spoke calmly. Tom rolled his eyes.

"Whatever," he muttered before Jesse released him. "See you around, Chlo." He smirked as he walked away from the group. By then, Jean had managed to help Beca to her feet. The drummer supported Beca as she stood as she was still in quite a bit of pain.

"Oh my God, Beca, are you okay?" Chloe asked frantically, tears streaming down her face.

"Fantastic," Beca muttered sarcastically without making eye contact with the redhead. The small girl clutched her ribs tenderly with her left hand while her right arm was thrown over Jean's shoulder.

"Let's get you back to your room, dude. You need to lay down," Jean said. Beca simply nodded as she began to limp along next to the drummer.

"What the hell was that all about?" Chloe whispered to herself before following the two girls out of the party.


End file.
